This past Tuesday, Shaler Area’s girls volleyball season came to an end following a 3-1 loss to North Allegheny in the semifinals of the PIAA  tournament. The loss came just more than a week after the Tigers beat the Titans in the WPIAL championship match.

Shaler finished the regular season as section champions with a 15-1 record. The Titans entered the WPIAL playoffs as as the number two seed, receiving a first-round bye.

Facing Latrobe, who upset Bethel Park in the opening playoff match, in their first WPIAL Tournament game, the Titans swept the Wildcats  3-0. Five days later, Shaler Area did the same against Oakland Catholic and completed the sweep with a 25-15 third-set win. This sent the Titans to the WPIAL Championship game for the second straight year, and secured them a berth in the PIAA Playoffs for the first time in school history. After North Allegheny beat Moon in their WPIAL semifinal match, the Tigers and Titans were set to meet in what would be their third of four matches against each other.

The Titans won the first match 3-0 which ended the Tigers’ 27-match win streak. North Allegheny won the second match 3-2, after trailing 2-0 in that match.

“We were confident [going into the game against NA],” coach Mr. Paul Stadelman said. “We liked our chances against them and knew that it would be a great match, which it was.”

Shaler Area fell to North Allegheny in five sets, after gaining a 2-0 lead on the reigning WPIAL champions.

“The game was a lot of fun, and I am really proud of how we played,” senior Tia Bozzo said. “The game didn’t go our way, but we learned that a medal doesn’t always mean that you ‘won’. How you conduct yourself on and off the court, and playing with your teammates, is more important than any title.”

The Tigers lost the first two sets 25-19 and 25-22, and were in the same 2-0 hole that they were in when they played Shaler Area earlier in the season. North Allegheny came back to win that match in five sets, and did the same in this case. It was North Allegheny’s fifth-straight championship game appearance, its second WPIAL title in a row and fourth championship in five years.

“The game was separated by a few plays here and there,” Stadelman said. “It was a close match for both teams.”

The Titans won their first match in the PIAA playoffs, the first PIAA tournament win in program history. The 3-0 victory came over McDowell.

The next opponent in the tournament was the District-3 champion Hempfield. Shaler Area won the first two sets over the Black Knights. After losing the next two sets 25-20 and 25-19, the Titans were in danger of blowing a 2-0 set lead for the second time in their last three matches. The Titans would, however, win the fifth set by two and move on to the state semifinals for the first time in Shaler Area volleyball history, boys or girls.

In that match, senior Mia Schubert would hit her 1,000th kill, an athletic milestone. In the regular season, fellow senior Bozzo recorded her 2,000th assist.

In the state semifinals, Shaler Area once again matched up against North Allegheny. The Titans took an early lead, winning the first set 25-19. In the second set, NA led 22-13 before Shaler rallied and tied the score at 24, then took the lead 25-24 and then 26-25. NA would come back, though, tying the extended set 26-26 and 27-27, before winning 29-27. The Tigers would win sets three and four 25-18 and 25-18 to win the match.

“​I was proud of this team all season,” Stadelman said. “Not just for making it to state playoffs or returning to the WPIAL Championship game, but for how they act. They play with a lot of passion and energy. They are also great students and people on and off the court. It was my pleasure to be their coach.”

Schubert led the Titans in kills and digs against the Tigers, with 11 and 23. Bozzo had 35 assists, and senior Sierra Ricci had 22 digs while junior Madison Barr had 21.

“Although the semifinal game was a tough loss, I think we played a very good ‘team’ game,” Schubert said. “All of us worked together to pull off a win in the first and almost the second set. It ultimately came down to who made the least amount of errors, which ended up being NA. It was a very good match up between two very good teams that just didn’t end up with the outcome we had hoped.”

The Titans finished the 2021 season with an overall record of 19-3, all three losses coming to the WPIAL and PIAA champion North Allegheny Tigers.

“All of us are extremely upset with the outcome, as we did not meet our goals,” senior Kayleigh Newland said. “We cannot let this take away from the fact that we had an amazing year. So much has been accomplished this season and I am beyond proud of it. I believe we are a well-bonded team with a lot of drive. We all had so much fun being a part of the program this year, excited to practice and work every single day towards our goals. I feel as though I have the true grasp of what a team is after this season. I will always remember this year because of the success and the environment of the team.”

After achieving individual accomplishments and taking the Titans to two straight WPIAL title games and the program’s first PIAA state playoffs, this year’s senior group (Schubert, Bozzo, Ricci, Newland and Brooke Schweitzer) leaves behind shoes that will be incredibly hard to fill.

“Our seniors are great players and great people,” Stadelman said. “Tia, Sierra, Brooke, Mia and Kayleigh have done everything I asked them to do over the past four years and more. They have accomplished so much in their playing careers and made a huge impact on our program, school, and community. They will be sorely missed.”

Schubert and Bozzo echoed his sentiments, emphasizing how much they have grown as and will miss being a Titan.

“I’m never going to forget my last volleyball season of high school,” Schubert said. “We have accomplished so much in this year alone just by making it to states. Competing in the WPIAL championship for the second year in a row and making it to the semis in states was such a great experience because of the level of competition we saw and the amount of support we received. I’m definitely going to miss the fun and intensity of our practices and competing against great teams every week. I’m especially going to miss all of the girls who have become like my family.”

“This past season has been amazing. I loved each and every moment. I’ve gotten to play with my best friends the past four years, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play on a team with girls and coaches with such a great culture and work ethic,” Bozzo said. “Volleyball has been my favorite aspect of high school by far, and I’ll greatly miss my coaches and teammates more than anything. I’m so thankful for Shaler Volleyball.”