PIAA boys volleyball playoffs 2026 preview: Can Butler stun North Allegheny in 3A semifinals?
Butler is hoping to pull off the biggest upset of the season in the semifinals of the PIAA boys volleyball tournament Tuesday when it faces WPIAL champion and the top team in the state, North Allegheny.
Here’s how the Tornado (19-5) match up with the Tigers.
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: Fox Chapel High School, 6 p.m. Tuesday
Up next: Winner of 3-3 Hempfield vs. 3-1 Cumberland Valley in the final
Golden Tornado’s key player: Setter Avery Rudolph had 31 assists in Butler’s 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Neshaminy and has put together a sound season since taking over the starting role. He provides unusual size at the position in high school — a 6-foot-4 distributor who mixes up where he goes with the ball routinely. Rudolph also had 35 assists in the first-round win over Dallastown.
Tigers’ key player: Pick your poison. NA (14-0) is loaded across the rotation, with multiple capable setters, a varied attack and a defense that doesn’t let much get by it. The nod here goes to Nathan May, who had four kills and a block in the first set of the WPIAL championship win over Butler, finishing with six kills, two aces and two blocks. He had 11 kills and two aces in the two regular-season matchups.
Butler wins if ... it plays a flawless match from start to finish. No team has taken even a set from the Tigers during the regular season or postseason, so stealing just one would be an accomplishment. But the Tornado defense is going to have to be at its best and not allow any gaps against NA’s dangerous attackers, and then Maddox McCall and company will need to provide crisp passes to give setter Rudolph optionality in his sets to keep NA’s defense off-balance. It’s a tall order ahead against the No. 1 team in the state.
