By: Paul Schofield


Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The mark of a good team is how much it improves during the season.

Penn-Trafford boys volleyball finished third in Section 2-3A, but after an upset win against section champion Latrobe and a win against Pine-Richland in the WPIAL third-place game, the Warriors found themselves in the PIAA playoffs, scheduled to face the winner of the Erie McDowell/State College game on June 3.

“We kept improving,” Penn-Trafford legendary coach Jim Schall said. “I do not know if I expected this, but we kept getting better and better. We are playing really well.”

After Penn-Trafford defeated Latrobe, 3-2, in the WPIAL quarterfinals, the Warriors lost 3-2 against a tall and talented Seneca Valley squad. In that game, Warriors setter Nathaniel Rugh sustained an upper body injury that kept him from playing against Pine-Richland.

Schall said Rugh has been cleared to return to play.

Stepping in for Rugh was junior Billy Spena as Penn-Trafford defeated Pine-Richland, 3-1.

“I thought we would be competitive against Latrobe,” Schall said. “It was a huge win for the team. Latrobe had some talented players.

“We continued to play well against Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland. Billy stepped in and did a great job against Pine-Richland.”

Schall said Spena had not set much this season, but he was a setter for the junior varsity team and his club team.

“He ran the offense well,” Schall said. “He did an outstanding job.”

Other players stepping up for the Warriors were libero Nick Sandrock, middle hitter Owen Gisi and outside hitter Ethan McDonald.

“The team has continued to play well,” Schall said, who said he does not know much about State College or Erie McDowell. “We had not seen them this season. I am sure they are good.”

Athletic physicals set

Penn-Trafford will be offering physicals at the high school for all athletes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m June 12. The cost is $15. (PayPal payments can be made during registration. No cash or checks at check-in.

Payment is required to complete physical registration. No walk-ins will be accepted.)

In addition to signing up for the physical, athletes must select the fall sport they are signing up for at registration.

Registration will close at 11:55 p.m. June 9.

Please see the ArbiterSports registration page for all information concerning the registration, CIPPE Athletic Physical and ImPACT Baseline Concussion Testing.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford

The 17 senior student-athletes of Douglas High School stand for a photo after signing their Letters of Intent Thursday in Minden. Pictured in front from left to right are Tyler Sentell, baseball, Diablo Valley College; Duncan DeLange, baseball, Butte College; Brent Faiss, baseball, DVC; Jeffrey Peters, baseball, College of Southern Nevada; Jackson Ovard, football, Feather River; Caden Martin, football, Feather River; Caden Thacker, basketball, De Anza College; Brenton Weston, football, Southern Oregon University; Sumer Williams, beach volleyball, Feather River; Cam McLelland, softball, Case Western Reserve; Ashlyn Greenfield, basketball, Sierra College. In back from left, Evan Tolbert, basketball, Palo Verde College; Stella White, pole vault, University of Nevada; Madison Frisby, golf, Southern Virginia University; Kolton Zinn, wrestling, Cal Poly Humboldt; Luke Davis, track and cross country, Saint Mary’s College; Giana Zinke, golf, Manhattan University.
Photo by Ron Harpin.

Douglas High School had 17 student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent Thursday to compete in collegiate athletics at the next level.

In total, the Tigers had three athletes sign at the Div. 1 athletic level, one at Div. II, two at Div. III, one NAIA and 10 junior college signees.

DIVISION 1

• Giana Zinke, golf, Manhattan University

• Stella White, pole vault, University of Nevada

• Luke Davis, track and cross country, Saint Mary’s College (Moraga, Calif.)

DIVISION II

• Kolton Zinn, wrestling, Cal Poly Humboldt

DIVISION III

• Madison Frisby, golf, Southern Virginia University

• Cam McLelland, softball, Case Western Reserve

NAIA

• Brenton Weston, football, Southern Oregon

JUNIOR COLLEGE

• Brent Faiss, baseball, Diablo Valley College

• Tyler Sentell, baseball, Diablo Valley College

• Duncan DeLange, baseball, Butte College

• Jeffrey Peters, baseball, College of Southern Nevada

• Jackson Ovard, football, Feather River College

• Caden Martin, football, Feather River College

• Caden Thacker, basketball, De Anza College

• Sumer Williams, beach volleyball, Feather River College

• Ashlyn Greenfield, basketball, Sierra College

• Evan Tolbert, basketball, Palo Verde College

VK NOVI BEOGRAD  15

ZODIAC BARCELONETA 14

(3-3, 2-1, 1-3, 4-3; after penalties)

The lights burned bright over Tal-Qroqq as Malta played again host to another unforgettable night of elite water polo. With a passionate crowd roaring from the stands, the Final Four returned for a second edition that delivered everything it promised – drama, skills, and nerve-wrecking ending.

Reigning champions Ferencvaros will face Novi Beograd in Sunday’s final.

Novi Beograd stood tall once more – a team haunted by near-misses, but undeterred. Finalists in 2022 and 2023, the Serbian powerhouse came to Malta with one goal: to finally lift the trophy that has twice eluded them. And after another nerve-shredding semifinal, they’re one step closer.

As it happened in their last appearance in 2023, they made it to the final after defeating Barceloneta after a penalty shootout in the first semifinal game.

Facing Spanish champions Barceloneta in another showdown, Novi Beograd struck early with a 2-0 lead in the first period and held a 6-4 advantage in the third. But the Spaniards roared back, mounting a 3-0 run to flip the match and edge ahead 7-6.

Tension mounted in the final quarter. Alvaro Granados gave Barceloneta a narrow 9-8 lead from the five-metre line, but Miroslav Perkovic and Dimitrios Skoumpakis flipped the script for the Serbians. With one second on the clock, however, disaster struck — a defensive lapse allowed Burian to pounce and push the match into extra time.

In the shootout, Novi Beograd held their nerve. All five of their shooters converted. On the other end, Unai Biel Lara blinked — his shot denied by goalkeeper Glusac. Milos Cuk stepped up and calmly buried the decider, sending the Serbian side into their third consecutive final, chasing a long-awaited crown.

Could it finally be third time lucky for Novi Beograd?

Penalty Sequence: Perrone (B) scored; Martinovic (N) scored; Granados (B) scored; Lukic (N) scored; Vigvari (B) scored; Dimitrijevic (N) scored; Sanahuija (B) scored; Vlahopoulos (N) scored; Biel Lara (B); Cuk (N) scored.   

Novi Beograd: M. Glusac, B. Gbadamassi 1, D. Skoumpakis 2, V. Martinovic 2, M. Cuk 2, L. Gladovic 1, D. Vucinic, M. Dimitrijevic 1, M. Perkovic 1, A. Vlahopoulos, N. Lukic, D. Trtovic, F. De Michelis.

Barceloneta : U. Aguirre, M. Famera Kopencova, A. Granados 5, A. Munarriz 1, B. Sanahuija 1 V. Vigvari 1, B. Gomila, G. Burian 2,  R. Tahull, F. Perrone, U. Biel Lara, A. Bustos Sanchez, N. Porter.

Refs: B. Margeta (Slovenia), F. Ohme (Germany).

FTC TELEKOM 14

MAR CN MARSEILLE 11

(5-2, 3-2, 2-4,4-3)

Ferencvaros: D. Szakonyi, D. Mandic 1, K. Manhercz 1, A. Nagy 2, M. Vamos 2, E di Somma, G. Argyropoulos 3, E. Molnar, V. Vigvari 1, S. Jansik 1, M. De Toro Dominguez 1, S. Vogel.

Marseille: P. Tesanovic, D. Angyal, U. Crousillat 1, V. Spaic. A. Prlainovic 3, T. Vernoux 3, M. Larumbe, A, Bouet, R. Vernoux 1, M. Bodegas 3, P. Vanpeperstraete, A. Velotto, A. Hovhannysian.

Refs: A. Franulovic (Croatia), M. Zwart (Netherlands).

Ferencvaros are looking to become the first Hungarian team ever to defend the Champions League title after dispatching Marseille with clinical authority. Yet, the French side, debutants in the Final Four, must be commended for their fighting spirit.

While Hungarian clubs have lifted the trophy nine times in the past, none have managed to retain the crown the following season. But Ferencváros, reigning champions after last year’s triumph in Malta, showed they are serious about rewriting that script.

Facing Marseille, the Hungarians wasted no time asserting dominance. Exploding out of the gates, they surged to a commanding 3-0 lead as the French side suffered an initial stage-fright. Although Andrija Prlainović sparked a French response, Ferencváros held firm and turned around at halftime with an 8-4 cushion.

Stylianos Argyropoulos completed his hat-trick early in the third quarter, but a brief Marseille resurgence saw veterans Michael Bodegas and Ugo Crousillat cut the deficit to 9-7. Sensing the shift in momentum, Márton Vámos stepped up to reestablish a comfortable lead.

Still, the French side refused to go quietly. Prlainović and Bodegas each netted again to complete hat-tricks and bring the score to a dramatic 10-10 early in the fourth.

But when it mattered most, Ferencváros found another gear. Dusan Mandić and Erik Molnár restored their lead to 12-10, and despite Thomas Vernoux keeping Marseille within reach, Miguel de Toro Domínguez made it 13-11 before Nagy’s late strike sealed  the victory.

Now, just one win separates Ferencváros from history — and a second consecutive Champions League crown.

After leading his squad to the Elite Eight last season, Kentucky volleyball head coach Craig Skinner has put together another challenging schedule in hopes of making an even deeper run in 2025.

The program released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season earlier this week, and it’s loaded with some of the sport’s best teams. All four of last season’s Final Four contenders make up Kentucky’s 10-game non-conference slate for the 2025 campaign. That includes Pittsburgh, which beat the Wildcats in the Elite Eight back in December, along with Louisville, Penn State, and Nebraska. Penn State went on to win the national title over Louisville.

Kentucky will face Penn State and Louisville on the road, while the matchups with Pitt and Nebraska will take place in neutral settings at Fort Worth (TX) and Nashville (TN), respectively. The likes of Washington, SMU, and New Hampshire — all NCAA Tournament teams in 2024 — are also on the Wildcats’ non-conference schedule. UK will host Ohio State for its lone exhibition.