The Foxes took the title at the third annual Queens of the 'Burgh girls volleyball tournament, edging the Cavaliers 28-26 in a championship match held Aug. 2 at All-American Field House in Monroeville.
The final paired the No. 4 Foxes against the No. 6 Cavaliers. Trailing 16-8, the Cavaliers fought back and moved ahead late, but the Foxes pulled away at the end to close out the win.
Avonworth coach John Skarupa, who founded the event, called this edition the best so far. Seven teams and 64 players took part, representing 37 high schools and 10 clubs. "It was a great weekend that is meant to elevate Pittsburgh volleyball regardless of where you play," he said. He added that the tournament was built to relieve the pressure that high school, club and recruiting can place on young players, while highlighting regional talent in a positive setting.
Teams played a round robin pool format before moving into a playoff bracket, officiated by referees from the local chapter. Skarupa said numerous coaches attended for recruiting, and every match was recorded and tracked through the Hudl/Balltime platform. The Knights, coached by Laney Wilson, went 6-0 in pool play and finished first. The Foxes were among four teams that went 2-4.
St. Joseph senior Kate Giannetta, a 5-foot-7 setter, earned the Foxes' Most Valuable Queen award. Her teammates were Ava Arnold of Eden Christian Academy, Kylee Partridge of South Fayette, Ashlan Tosadori of Butler, Mikayla Kurta of Hopewell, Kelly Ryan of Morgantown, Alicia Mokube of North Allegheny, Aubrey Bumblis of Beaver and Rylee Wooldridge of Mars.
Elena Arnold, Ava's older sister, coached the Foxes. She said the team lost its first three pool matches but kept a learning mindset, and that everyone qualified for the playoffs regardless. "These girls looked like they had been playing together for months when the truth was, I drafted them together just the night before," she said. After a rematch with the Princesses, the Foxes won the rest of their day, beating the Princesses and Knights for the first time before topping the Cavaliers. Arnold credited the players' humility and willingness to grow. Arnold is 21, graduated from Eden Christian in 2022, started at Saint Francis and is now a 6-foot-1 junior right-side hitter at Rollins College. She said the experience deepened her love of coaching.
The Cavaliers were led by Shaler's Teagan Orga, a 5-foot-6 defensive specialist who was named their Most Valuable Queen. Shaler's Bella Hoffman, Upper St. Clair's Hayden Culp, Butler's Brynn Cornibe, Southmoreland's Ainsley Martin, Baldwin's Ashley Skowronski, North Catholic's Mikaila Measel, Neshannock's Rian Owens and Pine-Richland's Olivia Moye rounded out the roster. Orga and Moye are rising juniors, and the rest are seniors. Mailea Hufnagel, a Peters Township product and sophomore at UVA Wise, coached the runner-up team.
Other Most Valuable Queens were Octavia Dixon of Shaler, Luana Tripon of North Allegheny, Cece Christy of Mars, McKenna Adams of Ringgold and Kayden Blinn of Beaver. The remaining coaches were Danielle Caligiuri, Brooke Sciullo, Kyra Schmidt, Laney Wilson and Bria Stepp. North Catholic coach Amanda Fetter served as event director, and Skarupa also thanked Tyler Szymanski for connecting athletes and areas across the region.
The event began in 2023 with 32 athletes and has since doubled to 64. Players in last year's tournament, 55 in all, earned 44 all-section awards, 31 all-WPIAL honors, 12 all-PIAA accolades and 13 WPIAL or PIAA titles. Premier Wealth Partners was the official sponsor of the combine and draft party.
