volleyball

Panthers, Lady Wolverines Both Looking To Advance In WPIAL Playoffs Thursday

Two local high school teams will continue their championship quests in their respective WPIAL playoff games Thursday evening. The Riverside boys soccer team marched onto the second round of the Class 1A WPIAL Playoffs with a 2-0 victory Monday night over Carlynton. The Panthers (11-2-1 overall) are set to face off against Avonworth Thursday evening at Ambridge with a 6:30 game time.  Avonworth defeated Mohawk 4-0 in their opening round contest. Alex Nour and Jesse Young, who both collected goals in the first round victory, will look again to lead the Panthers offense.  A victory Thursday would place Riverside in…


Ellwood City Varsity Girls Volleyball On To WPIAL Playoffs

The Lady Wolverines squad collected a birth in the WPIAL volleyball playoffs that begin this week.  Ellwood City will face a 6-6 Beth Center team in a play-in round of the WPIAL Playoffs Tuesday evening.  The match will take place at Our Lady of Sacred Heart at 6:30pm. The Wolverines (9-3 overall) team finished second in Class 2A Section 1.  The team earned four more victories in 2018, improving from their 5-7 record last year, en route to this year’s playoff birth. “These girls have been working extremely hard since we started off-season workouts in May,” said head coach Jenna…


Spike in heavy hitters sets stage for BC3 volleyball team

Pioneers chase 10th consecutive winning season The Butler County Community College volleyball team’s pursuit of a 10th consecutive winning season and fourth Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference title in a row may depend on a heavy-hitting front row that returns the league’s top two players in kills per set. The Pioneers, 18-6 in 2017, are also chasing their third National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region XX crown in four years and ninth since 1999 under coach Rob Snyder. “Our biggest strength this year,” said Snyder, who has compiled a 356-121 record through 19 years, “is we have some really…


BC3 Volleyball Squad Crowned WPCC Champs Again

Butler, PA- Brittney Bianco had 35 assists and Emily Magusiak 11 kills as the Butler County Community College volleyball team on Saturday won its 14th Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference title since 1977, ninth under coach Rob Snyder and third in a row by sweeping the Community College of Beaver County. BC3, the tournament’s top seed, beat the Titans 25-16, 25-16 and 25-20 in the best-of-5 finals and moved to 17-5 entering this weekend’s National Junior College Athletic Association Region XX Division III championships. BC3 will defend its back-to-back NJCAA Region XX Division III crowns in a tournament it will host…


BC3’s Bianco Has Skin in Game on Volleyball Court

Butler, PA – Solid black lines on the hardwood floor of the Butler County Community College Field House mark the periphery of the 900-square-foot boundary intended to confine six BC3 volleyball players, 2-inch lines across which Brittney Bianco’s skin shrieks in protest as she dives for the ball and climbs in stature and national rankings. Among players on 102 squads in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division III, the 5-foot-6 sophomore is ranked No. 15 with 7.68 assists per set, assists being likely the only statistical category that reflects a setter’s abilities and one that falls short of adequately…


Communication key as No. 9 BC3 Set to Defend Volleyball Crowns

Butler, PA – Above the squeaks and echoes inside Butler County Community College’s Field House are shouts of “Five! Five! Five!” and “A! A! A!” and “Three! Three! Three!” –  sounds of BC3’s 2017 volleyball team reacting to the flight of the ball and establishing order in what might otherwise be chaos, Coach Rob Snyder said. “No team sport,” Snyder said, “requires communication like volleyball. Think of a football team that had to run both offense and defense in the same play with no huddles or breaks to switch directions. It would be chaos.” For sophomores Brittney Bianco, Kelly Kabay…


Back to School: Fall Sports Media Day Q&A

School is just around the corner – first day of class for Lincoln High School students is Wednesday – and the players of the fall sports are gearing up for their first games of the year. Players from all fall sports, coaches, cheerleaders and media assembled at Helling Stadium on Thursday as part of fall sports media day. We were able to catch up with some local athletes and here is what one player from each of the sports teams has to say about their upcoming season: FOOTBALL Toby Kelly Grade: 12 Parents: Sammy Jo and Justin Kelly Years playing football: A…


Meet the Team: Lincoln High School’s Volleyball Team

We interviewed the seniors and the coach from Lincoln’s High School volleyball team. Coach Q. How did you get into coaching volleyball? A. I used to play for Lincoln’s high school team before I graduated. I went to Clarion for a Bachelors in medical imaging but while I’m looking for a job in that I decided to dedicate my time being the volleyball coach. Q. How long have you been coaching? A. This is my second season with varsity. Q. How do you think the team feels about their upcoming season? A. They’re definitely excited. There’s a lot of good…