Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) set its brackets for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Volleyball Championships on Friday, with 69 teams qualifying by finishing inside the top three of sections with six or fewer teams, or the top four of sections with seven or more teams, including ties, following the regular season.
 
Teams competed in four different sections in Class 4A and five different sections in Class 1A, Class 2A, and Class 3A, and played each of their section opponents twice.
 
At Class 4A, Canon-McMillan (15-1, 10-0) won Section I, North Allegheny (14-1, 9-1) reigned in Section II, Penn-Trafford (10-6, 9-1) took Section III, and Shaler (13-3, 10-0) captured Section IV. This is North Allegheny’s 10th consecutive section title and the third straight for both Canon-McMillan and Penn-Trafford.
 
The Class 3A section winners were Chartiers Valley (15-2, 10-2) in Section I, Mars (14-4, 10-0) in Section II, Thomas Jefferson (13-3, 12-0) in Section III, Beaver (15-3, 10-0) in Section IV, and Indiana (14-2, 12-0) in Section V. This is the fifth section title in six seasons for Beaver, four straight for Thomas Jefferson, while Chartiers Valley (2018), Indiana (2021), and Mars (2020) ended multi-year section droughts.
 
Reigning in the Class 2A sections were Quaker Valley (14-2, 14-0) in Section I, South Park (13-5, 13-1) in Section II, Waynesburg Central (17-0, 14-0) in Section III, Neshannock (13-1, 11-1) in Section IV, and Southmoreland (14-3, 10-0) in Section V. Quaker Valley and Southmoreland have both won their sections in consecutive years, while it is three in five seasons for South Park.
 
Emerging as section champions in Class 1A were Saint Joseph (15-3, 10-0) in Section I, Beaver County Christian (14-1, 10-0) in Section II, Carmichaels (12-6, 10-0) in Section III, Frazier (12-3, 8-0) in Section IV, and Eden Christian Academy (18-2, 8-0) in Section V. Frazier has now won four consecutive section titles, while it’s the first for Beaver County Christian since 2020 and the first for Carmichaels since 2019.
 
Last season, North Allegheny defeated Canon-McMillan, 3-1, in Class 4A, and Beaver topped Freeport by a 3-2 scoreline in the Class 2A championship game. Hampton and Serra Catholic both captured their first WPIAL girls’ volleyball championships, with the Talbots sweeping North Catholic, 3-0, in the Class 3A final, and Serra Catholic topping Bishop Canevin, 3-1, at Class 1A.
 
The WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Volleyball Championships begin on Monday, Oct. 21 with preliminary round matches in Class 2A and Class 3A. Championship matches will be played on Saturday, Nov. 2 at AHN Arena on the campus of Peters Township High School. The top two teams in Class 3A, top three teams in Class 1A and Class 3A, and the top four teams in Class 2A will move onto the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Volleyball Championships, which begin with first round matches on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and all championship games are held on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Cumberland Valley High School.

CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 2 at AHN Arena (Peters Township HS) – TBA
Amount of Qualifiers: 13
Top Four Seeds: #1 North Allegheny (14-1, 9-1), #2 Canon-McMillan (15-1, 10-0), #3 North Catholic (14-2, 8-2), #4 Upper St. Clair (11-5, 8-2)
Qualifying Teams: Armstrong, Canon-McMillan, Fox Chapel, Greater Latrobe, Hempfield Area, Kiski Area, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Shaler, Upper St. Clair
2023 Final: North Allegheny 3, Canon-McMillan 1
 
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23
- Two preliminary round matches to be played on Monday, Oct. 21
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 2 at AHN Arena (Peters Township HS) – TBA
Amount of Qualifiers: 18
Top Four Seeds: #1 Beaver (15-3, 10-0), #2 Mars (14-4, 10-0), #3 Chartiers Valley (15-2, 10-2), #4 Hampton (11-5, 7-3)
Qualifying Teams: Albert Gallatin, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Chartiers Valley, Derry, Freeport, Gateway, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Indiana, Laurel Highlands, Mars, Montour, Oakland Catholic, Ringgold, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson
2023 Final: Hampton 3, North Catholic 0
 
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23
- Six preliminary round matches to be played on Monday, Oct. 21
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 2 at AHN Arena (Peters Township HS) – TBA
Amount of Qualifiers: 22
Top Four Seeds: #1 Quaker Valley (14-2, 14-0), #2 Neshannock (13-1, 11-1), #3 Hopewell (14-2, 12-2), #4 South Park (13-5, 13-1)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Bentworth, Burrell, Brownsville, Charleroi, Ellwood City, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Laurel, Ligonier Valley, McGuffey, Mohawk, Neshannock, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Quaker Valley, Seton LaSalle, Shenango, South Allegheny, South Park, Southmoreland, Waynesburg Central, Yough
2023 Final: Beaver 3, Freeport 2
 
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 2 at AHN Arena (Peters Township HS) – TBA
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Frazier (12-3, 8-0), #2 Eden Christian Academy (18-2, 8-0), #3 Greensburg Central Catholic (13-3, 6-2), #4 Saint Joseph (15-3, 10-0)
Qualifying Teams: Apollo-Ridge, Aquinas Academy, Beaver County Christian, Bethlehem-Center, Bishop Canevin, California, Carmichaels, Eden Christian Academy, Frazier, Greensburg Central Catholic, Rochester, Saint Joseph, Serra Catholic, Trinity Christian, Union, West Greene
2023 Final: Serra Catholic 3, Bishop Canevin 1
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• 54: The number of teams in the 2024 fields that qualified for the WPIAL Girls’ Volleyball Championships last season.
• 51: The number of seasons the WPIAL has crowned a girls’ volleyball champion. Norwin was the first in 1973.
• 32: The number of schools who have boasted at least one WPIAL girls’ volleyball champion.
• 20: The number of WPIAL girls’ volleyball championships won by Farrell, a league record. The Steelers won in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
• 13: The longest streak of consecutive WPIAL girls’ volleyball championships, also accomplished by Norwin. The Knights won the first eight WPIAL girls’ volleyball titles from 1973 to 1980, then won five straight Class 3A crowns from 1981 to 1985.
• 2: The number of schools who won their first WPIAL girls’ volleyball championship last season. Hampton swept North Catholic in the Class 3A final, 3-0, while Serra Catholic captured its first WPIAL girls’ volleyball title at Class 1A by defeating Bishop Canevin, 3-1.

CLASS 4A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Canon-McMillan (15-1, 10-0)
Section II: North Allegheny (14-1, 9-1)
Section III: Penn-Trafford (10-6, 9-1)
Section IV: Shaler (13-3, 10-0)
 
CLASS 3A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Chartiers Valley (15-2, 10-2)
Section II: Mars (14-4, 10-0)
Section III: Thomas Jefferson (13-3, 12-0)
Section IV: Beaver (15-3, 10-0)
Section V: Indiana (14-2, 12-0)
 
CLASS 2A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Quaker Valley (14-2, 14-0)
Section II: South Park (13-5, 13-1)
Section III: Waynesburg Central (17-0, 14-0)
Section IV: Neshannock (13-1, 11-1)
Section V: Southmoreland (14-3, 10-0)
 
CLASS 1A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Saint Joseph (15-3, 10-0)
Section II: Beaver County Christian (14-1, 10-0)
Section III: Carmichaels (12-6, 10-0)
Section IV: Frazier (12-3, 8-0)
Section V: Eden Christian Academy (18-2, 8-0)
 
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