Butler volleyball douses Upper St. Clair’s rally, reaches WPIAL semis for 4th time
BUTLER TWP — It did not turn out to be the early night Butler boys volleyball had set itself up for, but in the end the Golden Tornado were still standing after Thursday’s WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal playoff against Upper St. Clair.
Down two sets to none, the Panthers rallied to win a marathon of a third set before host Butler claimed victory by scores of 25-21, 25-16, 31-33 and 25-22.
“There were some outstanding volleys tonight,” Butler coach Lew Liparulo said. “I watched Upper St. Clair’s (first-round win) over Hempfield and another game of their’s against Peters Township. They’re a good team with a lot of height (three players standing at least 6-feet-6).
“Service and hitting errors hurt us. We needed to get back on track from that.”
The Tornado (15-4) will face a familiar nemesis in Monday’s semifinals — Seneca Valley (13-4), which defeated Penn-Trafford 3-0 Thursday.
The fourth set was a little too close for comfort for Liparulo, who watched his team take an 18-10 lead prior to USC scoring 10 of the next 13 points to pull within 21-20.
Zane Steimer, who finished the night with a team-leading 16 kills, came up with a big one to halt the Panthers’ 7-0 run. Soon after, Butler closed out the match.
“We knew they (Panthers) were not going to quit,” said Butler’s Jacob Proudfoot, who dropped 12 kills in the win. “We had a game earlier this season against Hempfield. Went up 2-0, they came back and we won 3-2. It’s just a matter of staying focused and playing hard.”
Butler played the first three sets without its top threat at the net in senior outside hitter Andrew Slaugenhoup, who had a prior commitment according to Liparulo. He got to the gym in time to turn in four kills and two service aces in the fourth set. But the Tornado had already laid the groundwork for the win with victories in the first two sets.
Proudfoot, Steimer and Brett Schnur helped Butler maintain control with a combined 22 kills in that span.
“When you have one of your top players out of the lineup like we did tonight, it changes things and guys are moving around with different responsibilities,” Liparulo said. “The fast start was very important for us tonight because it showed our guys that the plan was working.”
Avery Rudolph dished out 30 assists and Maddox McCall had 34 digs.
“Butler rarely lets a ball get to the floor,” USC coach Alex Territ said. “But we’re going to fight no matter what. We made things interesting tonight.”
Aidan Chambers, Leo Goodworth and Nathan Powell, the tallest players on USC’s roster, combined for 30 kills.
Butler advances to the district semifinals for the fourth time in its history, joining the squads from 2024, 2018 and 2011.
The Golden Tornado split their two meetings with Seneca Valley this season.
“Both teams will be ready,” Liparulo said. “It’s gonna be a battle.”
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Butler’s Jacob Proudfoot (3) celebrates after scoring against Upper St. Clair in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal boys volleyball game Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Zane Steimer (18) spikes the ball against Upper St. Clair in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal boys volleyball game Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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