BUTLER TWP - North Allegheny was channeling David Blaine.

The Butler boys volleyball team thought it had plenty of opportunities for kills. Instead, Tigers defenders pulled out dig after dig with a slight of hand that would have made the master illusionist blush.

It all added up to a 25-16, 25-16, 25-22 sweep for North Allegheny over the Golden Tornado Thursday night.

"Our defensive ability is one of the trademarks of this team," said North Allegheny coach Dan Schall. "I think it's the best defensive team that I have coached and definitely something they take pride in. They frustrate teams. There are balls you think are going to be down, but they aren't."

The Tigers saw Butler as the ultimate challenge.

Blessed with several offensive weapons at the net, NA's defense was geared up to keep the ball from hitting the court.

Mission accomplished.

Butler managed only 24 kills as a team and no one reached double digits.

Bill Roberts led the Tornado with nine. Cody Moffit added seven and Andrew Willison had six.

Setter Andrew Henry had 22 assists, but was rendered largely a nonfactor by North Allegheny.

"They took our setter out," said Butler coach Lew Liparulo. "They took away our big middle and that's where we were hoping to go."

North Allegheny's defense was staunch, but by no means were the Tigers passive.

NA (3-0, 3-0) continuously attacked the net, especially Matt Miller.

Miller was a force in the second game, helping the Tigers roll off 12 straight points to take a 17-5 lead.

Miller had three kills and two blocks during the streak.

Butler also was plagued by unforced errors. The Golden Tornado had 10 in the first game and weren't much better in the following two games.

Butler rarely led in any of the three games. Its biggest lead was two points.

"We shot ourselves in the foot," Liparulo said. "That's probably the best thing I can say. I was disappointed in the level of play for the most part.

"You cannot play the second-ranked team in the state and expect to win if you do that."

In the third game, Butler fell behind big again, 13-4, and trailed 23-14 before making a run.

The Golden Tornado closed to 24-22, but the Tigers managed to tack on the decisive point to finish off the sweep.

"They controlled the tempo," Liparulo said. "In the second and third games, they just came out with attacks and we could not attack back. That's like saying, 'Here's the ball, kill us.'"

North Allegheny did just that.

Still, Butler is 3-1 overall and in the section, and Liparulo is hoping his team will use this loss as a learning experience.

"We made errors. That comes down on me as a coach," Liparulo said. "When we lose, 50 percent is on me. That's the way I look at it. We're going to go back and work. I do feel good about some of the things I saw. They didn't belly up and they didn't quit."