Seneca Valley's Marc DeMarco, left, and Paul Kurlak try to get the ball back over the net Thursday against North Allegheny. The Tigers remained undefeated and handed the Raiders their first loss in a 3-0 victory.

JACKSON TWP The Seneca Valley boys volleyball team's showdown with North Allegheny might have been described as a heated rivalry, a battle of unbeatens or a measuring stick.

However, the host Raider' fortunes headed south in a hurry.

Seneca Valley watched the Tigers reel off 10 straight points to blow the first game wide open and the Raiders never recovered in a 25-11, 25-9, 25-21 loss Thursday.

The Tigers (5-0, 5-0) entered the match ranked second in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Association and the Raiders (6-1, 4-1) were fifth.

North Allegheny held a 14-10 lead in the opening game when Michael Krepp stepped behind the service line.

Kills by Dennis O'Neil, Phil Timcheck and Adam Miller helped the Tigers keep possession before finally giving the ball back to the Raiders, but the damage was done as SV trailed 24-11.

Timcheck then finished Game 1 with another kill.

"We had some adversity tonight because a couple of our better players were out," said North Allegheny coach Dan Schall, who would not disclose the players' names. "We knew how good Seneca was, but the guys we had out there just elevated their game tonight."

The Raiders appeared shell-shocked after the first game and fell behind 10-2 in the second.

"I think nerves had a lot to do with it," said Seneca Valley coach Josh Springer. "That affects your serving and passing. It got to the point where NA was able to predict everything we were trying to do."

Leading the Tigers' dominance were Matt Miller, Adam Miller and Timcheck, who finished with seven kills each.

The Raiders sprang back to life in the third game, holding a 7-5 lead at one point.

The Tigers rebounded and held a 15-11 edge, but SV earned four straight points to pull even at 15-all.

Matt Miller and O'Neil tallied kills down the stretch to deny the Raiders a fourth game.

"I think the third game was a better indication that we can compete with NA," said Springer. "At that point, we weren't worried about what they were doing. We started worrying about what we could do on our side of the net."

Junior middle blocker Nate Hayden led the Raiders with seven kills against the Tigers, who are the defending WPIAL champions.

"Our goal is to be as good as we can possibly be," said Schall. "Sometimes, when you do that, it means competing for a WPIAL and state title. That's our hope for this year."