Trending
PITTSBURGH -- The Warren girls volleyball team lost a tough 3-1 battle Wednesday in the opening round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs against Oakland Catholic 24-26, 25-19, 25-10, 26-24.
The Dragons came out swinging as they won the opening set, but the Eagles responded nicely in the second and third sets to take the lead. The final set was the definition of leaving it all on the court as the Dragons did everything in their power to keep their season alive, but ultimately fell short 24-26.
Going against the top-ranked 4A team in the state, the Dragons had their hands full. Despite the loss, the 2026 Warren girls volleyball team backed up their high state ranking and showed they can compete with the best of the best. Warren dealt Oakland Catholic a loss which it was unfamiliar with this season as it swept every team 3-0 in the WPIAL tournament.
"We certainly have nothing to hang our heads about tonight," reported head coach Mike Dolan. "We showed a lot of grit right out of the gate, and came so close to forcing that 5th set. This team and these seniors put together a phenomenal run this season, showing they can play with anyone, our only losses have come at the hands of the No. 3 and now No. 1 ranked teams in the state. It's hard to see it end but they really fought hard out there, some high level and intense points and some big plays all over the court."
Stats for the match are as follows: Hailey Cabisca 14 kills; Attie Corey 9 kills, 2 blocks; Malysia Sorensen 19 digs; Brynn Norris 32 assists, 7 digs, 2 blocks; Brooke Sherry 5 kills, 2 blocks; Paiden Johnson 3 aces, 6 digs; Addison Ristau 4 digs, 2 aces; Lara Pearson 6 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs; Julia Getner 3 kills, 1 block.
"The seniors should be proud of not just their results over this and the previous seasons, but their effort and the work they put in to get here and have this opportunity in the state tournament," Dolan added. "Malysia Sorensen, Attie Corey, Peyton Cabisca, Brooke Sherry, Julia Getner, Addison Ristau, Paiden Johnson and Brynn Norris left quite a legacy. I want to thank them and also our terrific coaching staff of Sue Baldensperger, Samantha Nosel, Grace Wortman and Paige Wilson."