The Queens of the \u2018Burgh girls volleyball tournament took place July 24-25 at All-American Field House in Monroeville. Designed for incoming high school juniors and seniors, the tournament celebrated its fourth birthday in style. <\/p>\n
It was near standing-room-only in the volleyball court area at the Monroeville sports facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt this was our largest crowd ever with all the bleachers and the seating along Court 1 and on top being taken,\u201d said John Skarupa, the tournament\u2019s founder. \u201cIt was even difficult for us to walk around to start or stop the cameras, which was a good problem to have.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the championship match couldn\u2019t have been any closer.<\/p>\n
The Rams edged Princess Colussy, 26-24, in the playoff bracket finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was the first time in three years that we had the Princess team make it out of the first round,\u201d Skarupa, who coaches the Avonworth girls volleyball team. \u201cThis year, both Princess teams made the semifinals, and one was in the finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the Rams were just defensively solid. That team started to click at the right time. They had the most digs and blocks out of any of the eight teams and could wear teams down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rams were coached by Bria Stepp in her second year at the tournament. Stepp is a Seneca Valley graduate and a 5-foot-8 junior setter at West Chester.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of my team for winning the championship. It speaks to the level of their talent to be able to win the championship having never played together as a team before,\u201d Stepp said. \u201cOne of our biggest challenges early in the tournament was digging ourselves out of a point deficit. In the championship, we found ourselves in the same situation when we were down 10-3, but the girls stayed mentally strong and kept competing. We focused on controlling our side and playing smart volleyball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe what made the championship win so rewarding was seeing the girls overcome the same challenge that had hurt us earlier in the day and persevere when it mattered most.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rams team consisted of Freeport outside hitters Jayme Radvan and Evie Tola, Indiana middle hitter Allison Lichtenfels, Waynesburg defensive specialist Lelia McCollum, Chartiers Valley 6-2 outside hitter Payton Friburger, North Catholic 6-foot middle hitter Kaylee Garr, Latrobe defensive specialist Abbie Strauser and setters Sydney Klaich from North Allegheny and Ava Ruane from Penn-Trafford.<\/p>\n
All are seniors except Radvan, Tola, Friburger and Garr, who will be juniors in 2026-27.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I had the best group of athletes I could have asked for,\u201d Stepp said. \u201cI had an incredible roster. They all brought energy, passion and a love for the game, which is huge in volleyball.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a returning coach this year, I felt much more comfortable and confident. I had a better understanding of the draft process and what it takes to roster a successful team and create a positive team culture in such a short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two girls who were familiar with Stepp\u2019s coaching style were Garr and Klaich, who played for the West Chester netter in 2025 as Princess team members.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was especially exciting to draft two players who were on my team last year and see how much they had grown since I last saw them play,\u201d Stepp said. \u201cWatching the team come together and earn the big win made this year even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rams nudged by Princess Penny, 25-23, in the tournament\u2019s semifinal round while Princess Colussy defeated the Thunder by the same score in advancing to the championship match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rams benefited from some clutch Queens points, which is a gamble card that we give each coach the ability to use before their 18th point,\u201d Skarupa said. \u201cIt makes the next point worth two points instead of one, but the gamble could go against you if you don\u2019t win it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rams won both Queens points in the semifinals, which was a four-point swing and was very helpful when that match ended 25-23.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two members of the reigning WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship team at Eden Christian Academy \u2014 juniors Emily Muir and Edelyn Mathieu \u2014 competed for the Hawks at the two-day competition.<\/p>\n
Muir is a 6-foot outside hitter and two-time tournament participant while Mathieu is a 5-10 right-side hitter who experienced the event for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love playing in this tournament because I get to meet and play with people from the Pittsburgh area that I haven\u2019t known or played with before,\u201d said Muir, an excellent student who has a 4.24 GPA. \u201cI think it is a great event that is very unique and brings the volleyball community together.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though we didn\u2019t do as well as we all wanted to, I think we played very well together. I had a lot of fun playing in the games.\u201d<\/p>\n
As did Mathieu, her Eden teammate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tournament was so much fun,\u201d Mathieu said. \u201cIt was my first time playing in it, and I definitely wish I would have done it last year. I hope to participate again next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favorite part was playing with the girls from different schools. Two girls on my team were from Avonworth, which is a team we scrimmage during the season. Playing with them instead of against them was lots of fun. I think as a team we played very well. For the first time all playing together, it went well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mathieu, another outstanding performer in the classroom who has a 4.23 GPA, also competes on the Eden girls track team in the 100-meter dash and long jump.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my first year doing it (this spring), and it was a great experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A total of 75 athletes registered for this year\u2019s tournament, including five from North Allegheny, North Catholic and Chartiers Valley.<\/p>\n
Almost 40 schools were represented, including North Allegheny, North Catholic, Chartiers Valley, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Shenango, Oakland Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Shaler, Freeport, Mars, Pine-Richland, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Hampton, Eden Christian Academy, Avonworth, Upper St. Clair and Waynesburg.<\/p>\n
The following all had one athlete participate: Serra Catholic, Woodland Hills, Baldwin, Thomas Jefferson, North Hills, South Fayette, Armstrong, Peters Township, South Park, Fox Chapel, Hopewell, Butler, Burrell, Plum, Norwin, Indiana, Latrobe, Franklin Regional and Riverside.<\/p>\n
And more than two dozen college programs were on hand for recruiting purposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had 25 college programs in attendance plus a dozen more who couldn\u2019t make it but requested film,\u201d Skarupa said. \u201cThe event continues to get better and better. I think this year especially, the teams were the most even. All playoff matches except one were two-point games with many going into extra points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also had our largest sponsor turnout with Premier Wealth Partners, Remix Market of Pittsburgh, Jim Shorkey Auto Group and Junkluggers being our main event\/combine sponsors. And with Moe\u2019s and Colussy Chevrolet as our team sponsors, we were able to enhance the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
On July 24, athletes underwent testing for approach and block jumps, participated in positional drills and engaged in 6-on-6 competition. Players were selected onto teams during a draft party held immediately after the combine.<\/p>\n
The next day, the teams participated in pool play then entered a playoff bracket to determine final standings. All matches were filmed and made available to the participants.<\/p>\n
This tournament provides an opportunity for scholastic volleyball players in the Pittsburgh area to showcase their skills, receive professional coaching and compete at a high level. It emphasizes skill development, fundamentals and mental game preparation.<\/p>\n
Coaches are current college players, and the environment is designed to be fun, competitive and growth-oriented, helping athletes improve while enjoying the sport.<\/p>\n
Along with Stepp, the coaches were IUP\u2019s Delaney Concannon (Panthers) from Thomas Jefferson, IUP\u2019s Kyra Schmidt (Hawks) and Dickinson\u2019s Avery Butcher (Princess Penny) from North Allegheny, IUP\u2019s Brooke Kessler (Thunder) from Bethel Park, Muskingum\u2019s Addy Rusek (Muskies) from Burrell, Frostburg\u2019s Bailey Rafferty (Princess Colussy) from Waynesburg and Lynn University\u2019s Laney Wilson (Knights) from Albert Gallatin.<\/p>\n
Concannon, Kessler and Schmidt are teammates at IUP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first year being involved in the Queens tournament,\u201d Concannon said. \u201cThe progression Queens has made over the past couple of years is incredible. It is so nice to see girls volleyball growing and how many love this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stepp, a Cranberry Township resident, already is developing plans to try for a repeat championship next summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a current college player, it was awesome to experience the game from a different perspective,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m used to being on the court competing, so having the opportunity to guide and mentor young athletes from the sidelines was rewarding. I\u2019d like to thank founder, John Skarupa, event director, Amanda Fetter, and the entire staff for all the work they put into making the event such a success and for creating an opportunity that continues to elevate girls\u2019 volleyball in Western Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful to have been a part of it, and hopefully I\u2019ll be back next year to defend the title and go for a two-peat.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Queens of the \u2018Burgh girls volleyball tournament took place July 24-25 at All-American Field House in Monroeville.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-333108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}