Following an upset win over top-seeded Latrobe in the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball semifinals, North Catholic was looking for an even more exciting encore.

It’s safe to say the Trojans got just what they wanted, sweeping section foe Ambridge in the finals Thursday night at Peters Township High School.

The scores of the three sets were 25-22, 25-23, and 26-24.

“I think it was good that it was a team we knew, because we kind of knew what to expect,” North coach Stacie Ball said. “We knew what their game plan was, they knew what our game plan was, and we went out and executed. The boys served really tough. If you have competitive serves and you pass well, then you can win most of these contests ... The boys did a great job.”

The Trojans fell behind in the initial set, but rebounded to claim momentum early on.

“We were down by four or five, and then we went on a nice serving run,” Ball said. “I think we had a little bit of jitters coming out. We are young. We have two seniors.”

The second set was tight from wire to wire, then North held a 23-18 lead in the third before letting the Bridgers back into it.

Junior outside hitter Lucas Gunther had 17 kills and two blocks, while senior middle hitter Luke Ball added eight kills and three blocks. Senior setter Ro Alessandro recorded 33 assist and three blocks

“We really blocked them well,” Coach Ball said. “They (Ambridge) started tipping, and we adjusted ... Right there, with those three players to have eight blocks, that was huge.”

Mars 3, Latrobe 2 — Derek Piatek had 15 kills, Ryan Ceh 12, and Tyler Raabe 10 as the Planets earned a PIAA tournament bid. The scores of the match were 25-18, 25-18, 30-28, 25-13, and 16-14.

Mars dropped the first and third sets before rallying in the final two.

Baseball

Karns City advanced to the District 9 Class 2A title game with an 11-0 win over Port Allegany at Brockway Thursday. Mallick Metcalfe pitched all seven frames for the Gremlins — striking out nine and walking none — along with notching a triple and three RBIs. Mason Sherwin, Jacob Callihan, and Braden Grossman all banged out two hits in the contest.

Karns City totaled a dozen base knocks and will play Redbank Valley for the crown in DuBois on Monday.

DuBois Central Catholic 15, Union/A-C Valley 0 — The Falcon Knights were defeated by District 9 Class 1A’s top seed in a three-inning semifinal matchup.