North Catholic volleyball finds rhythm in sweep win over Seneca Valley
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North Catholic’s Camdynn Gonzalez (7) passes against Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic’s Chloe Summerville (23) serves to Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic’s Audra Lazzarra (16) hits against Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic celebrates an early point against Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Sheridan Gallagher (13) passes against North Catholic in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Sheridan Gallagher (13) passes against North Catholic in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic's Mikaila Measel (22) scores over Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Sheridan Gallagher (13) passes against North Catholic in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Sheridan Gallagher (13) passes against North Catholic in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic head coach Amanda Fetter prior to the start of the match against Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Payton Fisher (5) and North Catholic’s Jillian Kalis (34) greet before a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Payton Fisher (5) and North Catholic’s Jillian Kalis (34) greet before a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Eva Beres (18) hits through the block of North Catholic's Lauren Reitz (33) in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic's Lauren Reitz (33) and Chloe Summerville (23) try to block Seneca Valley’s Cameron Mueller (7) in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Sheridan Gallagher (13) and Delaney Myers (19) try to block North Catholic’s Mikaila Measel (22) in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic’s Audra Lazzarra (16) and Mikaila Measel (22) celebrate against Seneca Valley in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
JACKSON TWP — Fast starts have not been common for North Catholic’s volleyball team this season, but winning has.
That theme continued Thursday in a WPIAL Section 2-4A clash at Seneca Valley’s William Paul Gymnasium.
The Trojanettes struggled to maintain momentum throughout the match, but still found a way to sweep the Raiders by set scores of 26-24, 26-24 and 25-20.
“For whatever reason, we tend to start slow,” North coach Amanda Fetter said. “Once we hit a rhythm, we’re fine.”
North’s ability to overcome adversity was best displayed in the second and third sets.
In the former, Seneca Valley held leads of 7-1 and 18-13 thanks in large part to Cami Mueller and Addison Corbett, who combined for 10 kills in the set.
A kill by Mikaila Measel stopped the bleeding in the second instance and the Trojanettes (5-1, 4-0) made it four straight points thanks to a pair of hitting errors from the Raiders and a kill courtesy of Jillian Kalis to cut the host’s lead to 18-17.
Measel, Kalis, Camdynn Gonzalez and Chloe Summerville each dropped clutch kills to finish the set in North’s favor.
“Our connections got better as the set played out and we were calling plays that brought the energy up,” said Measel, who finished the match with a team-high 12 kills.
In the third set, the Raiders (4-4, 1-3) once again were the better team early, building a 14-9 lead, but 16 of the final 22 points went against them.
Since sweeping Butler on Sept. 9, SV has been swept by section foes North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and North Catholic. But in those nine sets, seven have been decided by a combined 20 points.
“I thought we played great tonight, were going point for point with them for much of the match and everybody was pulling their weight,” SV coach Brett Poirier said. “We just have to learn how to finish.
“We have a lot of talent. Our setter, Sheridan (Gallagher, junior) already has 350 assists this season and we’re not even halfway through. We’re a young team and we’ll get over that hump.”
A groove was hard to come by in Thursday’s opening set. Back-to-back aces from Madison Thewes gave North a 21-19 lead, but kills from SV’s Alaina Hahn and Payton Fisher helped the Raiders pull even at 24.
A service error handed the serve and lead back to North, which received a block from Lauren Reitz to end the set.
Mueller paced the Raiders with 13 kills and Fisher added 11.
Much of North’s success this season can be credited to the play of Gonzalez, who switched from right-side hitter to setter.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Fetter said. “Audra Lazzara (junior) did not have many attacks tonight, but she has lit teams up this year. You never know who’s going to have the hot hand.”
North Catholic will host North Allegheny Tuesday in a meeting for the section lead, and Seneca Valley will visit North Hills.
