In the neighborhood
BUTLER TWP — Losing the first game of a volleyball match when there are 16 ties could take a lot out of a team, but not with first place in the Section 2-AAA race on the line.
North Allegheny and Butler fought tooth and nail through the first set — which the Tigers prevailed in 25-23 — but the Tornado did not allow the first game defeat to slow them down, though NA went on to win 3-0.
Final cores of the last two sets were 25-20 and 25-22.
“Ordinarily it does, but we came back each time,” said Butler coach Lew Liparulo. “This team has a lot of character, a lot of pride and would not let up.
“Our philosophy is to play for the next point and we try and do it,” Liparulo added.
“You always like to get the first game for momentum,” said Tigers coach Dan Schall. “I tell the guys, either way, it's 0-0 when the next game starts.”
The Tigers (3-0, 3-0) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first game before Butler evened the score with the next three points.
That would be the first of 16 ties, the last coming at 22-all when the Tornado's Xavier Krause's serve hit the net.
NA grabbed the next two points, but a Tigers' serve hit the net to make it a one-point game before the Tigers earned the final point.
The Tigers used that momentum to race out to a 5-0 lead in the second game before Liparulo called a timeout.
North Allegheny enjoyed its biggest lead at 11-4 before a Derick Wilbert kill helped spur the Tornado (3-1, 3-1).
The Tigers held an 18-12 lead before Butler recorded seven of the next eight points, the final three on service points from Wilbert to tie the game at 19.
The Tigers' Tommy Keisling and Butler's Krause exchanged kills for a 20-all game, but NA closed out the game by scoring the final five points, the final four behind the service of Derek Wagner.
“I thought when these games came down, either team could have made the plays,” Schall said. “When they all came down to around 20-20, we made some great defensive plays. Next time we play Butler, they might make those plays.”
The third game saw 11 ties, including 17-all before the Tigers scored the next three points to seemingly take control.
Following a Butler timeout Dustin DeFrancisis earned a point and the Tigers followed with a shot out to pull Butler to within one point.
Butler would pull even at 22 before its block went out of bounds, then Keisling closed out the game with a pair of kills.
“It just came down to us making a few more mistakes,” Liparulo said. “It was good volleyball. That's all I can say about that. We lost, but the kids really put forth the effort.
“The comment from the kids was ‘We can't wait to face them again.'”
Keisling led the Tigers with 14 kills, Steve Ferringer added 13 and Seth Johnson added 12. Joe Murphy added 37 assists and Jared Gross and Mike Schmitt had 15 and 12 digs, respectively.
Mike Dreher led Butler with eight kills, Dylan Snodgrass nine passes and DeFrancisis 20 assists.
Notes: The Tigers won the junior varsity game 2-0 (25-18, 25-20)... Butler will host Hempfield today.
