2025 PIAA Boys Volleyball AAA State Championship

By Ken Wunderley

 Prior to the PIAA Class 3A boys volleyball title match, Cumberland Valley coach Terry Ranck touted a balanced offense that had four hitters who were capable of recording double-digit kills in any match.

 Ranck also felt an even bigger reason for the Eagles' success during the regular and post season was due to their excellent serve-receive and ball control defense that he referred to as "off the charts".

 Cumberland Valley displayed both traits in its 3-0 sweep of North Allegheny in the title match, June 14 at Penn State's Recreation Hall.

 "Cumberland Valley's defense was outstanding," North Allegheny coach Dan Long said. "They played almost error free. They did a great job of blocking and kept plays alive with impressive play in the back row. Their great defense transitioned into a balanced attack on offense."

 Three of the four hitters Ranck referred to combined for 33 kills. Middle hitter Avery Reynolds, opposite Derek Paul and outside hitter Bryson Walsh each had 11 kills for the Eagles.

 "That's what we did all season," Ranck said. "It didn't matter who we played. The kids were locked in from the start of the season until the final whistle in the championship match. We only lost two sets in match play. You don't see that very often."

 The first set was tied nine times before Cumberland Valley put together a run of six points to take a 16-10 lead. North Allegheny scored the next four points to cut the deficit to two points, but that is as close as the Tigers would get as the Eagles recorded a 25-21 victory.

 Reynolds had four kills, including the final point, and added a block for point. Paul had three kills and a serving ace, while Walsh added three kills.

 North Allegheny was led by outside hitter Will Robertson who had three kills, while opposite Matthew LaMay and outside hitter Elijah Braun each had two kills.

 "The first set was close until our six-point run," Ranck said. "Avery [Reynolds] was able to get some separation during that rally. Our defense took North Allegheny out of its offense and forced several unforced errors."

 North Allegheny jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, but Cumberland Valley rallied to tie the set at 9-9 with the help of three consecutive hitting errors by the Tigers. The two teams traded points until the score reached 20-20.

 At that point, the Eagles scored five of the last six points to pull out another 25-21 victory. All five points came on unforced errors by the Tigers.

 Paul led the Eagles with five kills, while Reynolds and Walsh had four each. Robertson led the Tigers with four kills.

 "We kept it close in the first and second sets," Long said. "But we had couple stretches in which we had some unforced errors that really hurt."

 Cumberland Valley totally dominated the third set. The Eagles jumped out to a 10-2 lead and finished with a 25-12 victory. Reynolds and Walsh had four kills, while Paul had three. North Allegheny had a combined three kills in the set.

 "I was surprised we dominated the third set," Ranck said. "North Allegheny's unforced errors finally caught up with them and snowballed."

 North Allegheny was making its PIAA record 20th appearance in the finals and had a chance to tie the record for the most titles, but had to settle for its 11th runner-up trophy.

 Landisville Hempfield ranks first in PIAA history with 10 titles. North Allegheny, Haverford and Northeastern are tied for second with nine titles.

 "You have to tip your hat to Cumberland Valley," Long said. "They played an almost flawless match and we couldn't match their play. It is disappointing, but I am very impressed with what my kids accomplished this season."

 Cumberland Valley was making its second title appearance and claimed its second title with the first coming in 2008.

 "It's an incredible feeling to win a state title," Ranck said. "The kids worked so hard to reach this goal. This is something they will never forget."

 Cumberland Valley (22-0) earned its PIAA berth by winning the District 3 title. The Eagles advanced to the finals with wins against Unionville, 3-0 in the first round; Abington Heights, 3-0 in the quarterfinals; and Governor Mifflin, 3-1 in the semifinals.

 North Allegheny (18-2) earned its PIAA berth by winning its record 23rd WPIAL title. The Tigers advanced to the finals with wins against Palmyra, 3-0 in the first round; Penn-Trafford, 3-1 in the quarterfinals; and Central York, 3-2 in the semifinals.

 Eight members of Cumberland Valley's varsity roster are seniors and six played in the title match. Only two underclassmen made an appearance in the title match which means Ranck will have some rebuilding to due during the offseason.

 "We are losing a very talented group to graduation, but we do have a talented group of underclassmen stepping in to take their place. Our junior varsity team went undefeated, so we are not too far out of the picture."

 It's a much different story for North Allegheny, as seven of 12 players who appeared in the title match are underclassmen.

 The Tigers lose 10 players to graduation, but only five played in the title match.

 "We do have a nice group of kids coming back, but we will miss the kids who made up our senior class," Long said. "We'll see how our story gets written next season."