PIAA boys volleyball playoffs 2026: Breaking down Butler and Seneca Valley’s Round 1 matchups
The PIAA tournaments start this week, and a Butler County team is hoping to extend a historic season while another is hoping to outplay its seeding.
Here’s what to know about Butler (17-5) and Seneca Valley’s (14-5) first-round matchups Tuesday:
Livestream: Some games will be livestreamed on the NFHS Network ($13.99 for a monthly subscription) or broadcast by local or regional media outlets. The state championship will be broadcast and livestreamed on PCN. A digital subscription to PCN costs $14.99 for one month.
Tickets: According to the PIAA, tickets can be purchased for $9 in advance on hometownticketing.com and for $10 at the door
Site/time: Dallastown High School, 5 p.m. Tuesday
Up next: Winner of 12-1 Northeast at 1-2 Neshaminy
Golden Tornado’s key player: Senior libero Maddox McCall stands out for “his tenacity, his ability to read the ball and get to the position and pass it up,” Butler coach Lew Liparulo said.
McCall has made over 500 passes to target this season, a figure that has impressed Liparulo.
Wildcats’ key player: Junior middle hitter Carson Hershey, who stands 6-foot-2, was named a York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association second-teamer this season. He led all players with 19 kills during the District 3 title match.
Butler wins if ... it stays in the present. Liparulo believes the Golden Tornado could’ve made things tighter in the WPIAL Class 3A title match against North Allegheny if not for a few service errors in a row during one set.
“The game is the game. The ball’s gonna hit the floor,” Liparulo said. “The mistakes are what’s gonna cost you the match, so hopefully we’re gonna clean that up.”
Site/time: State College High School, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
Up next: Winner of 3-5 Central York at 7-1 North Allegheny
Raiders’ key player: Outside hitter and captain Malachi DeGraaf — who stands 6-foot — is the only senior on the Raiders’ roster.
“We will be looking for his leadership and experience in the state playoffs,” Seneca Valley coach Brett Poirier said. “He has had an incredible season so far, and also he made first-team all-section and first-team All-WPIAL.”
Little Lions’ key player: Senior setter Derrick Campbell, a George Mason commit, is the son of Lions’ head coach Larry Campbell. He was named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Players to Watch list this season and has over 2,000 career assists.
Seneca Valley wins if ... it plays with “consistency and keeping errors to a minimum, for sure,” Poirier said. “Taking it one match at a time.”
