BUTLER TWP — There are the real, tangible victories, ones that show up in the standings.

Then there are the moral ones, the wins that put an extra hop in the step.

The Butler boys volleyball team would have preferred the first one against undefeated and No. 1-ranked North Allegheny at home Tuesday night.

Instead, the Golden Tornado had to settle for the symbolic one.

“Very, very pleased with the way they did not belly up,” said Butler coach Lew Liparulo.

It would have been easy for Butler to fold against the Tigers after falling 25-13 in a lopsided first set, but the Golden Tornado battled back from down big in the second and third sets, threatening the NA lead, but ultimately fell 25-20 and 25-23 in a 3-0 sweep.

North Allegheny (15-0, 10-0) has not lost a single set this season.

“We just kept coming at them,” Liparulo said. “What more can you ask for?”

After the blowout loss in the first set, Butler (13-2, 8-2) fell behind 13-8 in the second set, but battled back to cut the lead to 17-16.

The Golden Tornado, though, could never get the lead.

The same scenario played out in the third set with Butler trailing 13-4 at one point before closing again to within a point at 18-17.

North Allegheny, however, was able to keep the lead once more.

“I was as impressed with how we handled 17-16 and 18-17 as I was with the first game,” said North Allegheny coach Dan Schall. “There was poise and maturity. This group didn't crack. That's a very good team over there.”

No one has been able to break the Tigers this season.

Schall said his team has seen the best the opponent has had to offer night in and night out.

The match against Butler was no different.

“They play great defense and they got some big swings,” Schall said. “And the crowd got into it. The guys were pretty mature with how they handled it.”

Butler ultimately was never able to make much headway, though.

The Golden Tornado led 1-0 in the second set and 2-0 in the third, but North Allegheny overtook them each time and retained the advantage.

“Momentum is a big thing and even the psychological victory of taking a lead certainly affects how you play the next point,” Schall said. “I thought our resilience was pretty good tonight.”

So were their hitters.

Wave after wave of them rotated to the front row and put the ball on the floor.

North Allegheny had eight players record at least one kill, led by Jason Stiefvater with 11 and Canyon Tuman with nine.

“We didn't match up well in certain rotations in the front,” Liparulo said. “There's a big size difference and experience level. But I saw leadership on the court and the kids worked hard to try to get it done.”

Cody Schnur led Butler at the net with 10 kills. Nash Bryan added nine, but Bryan's biggest impact came in the back row as a facilitator of the offense during both Butler runs in the second and third sets.

“Nash is a very consistent serve-receive,” Liparulo said. “He's our top hitter, but in the back row, he can be phenomenal. He was a catalyst for us.

“You're never happy with a loss,” Liparulo added. “But they played hard and went at it until the end.”