The Rams, led by Freeport\u2019s Evie Tola, won this year\u2019s Queens of the \u2018Burgh girls high school volleyball tournament July 25 at the All-American Field House in Monroeville. <\/p>\n
Tola is a unique volleyball player, a 5-foot-4 junior outside hitter at Freeport. There aren\u2019t too many 5-4 outside hitters in high school.<\/p>\n
She was named MVQ (Most Valuable Queen) for the Rams off her performance in the two-day event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was difficult to choose just one player as our MVQ,\u201d said Seneca Valley grad Bria Stepp, the Rams coach and a junior setter at West Chester.<\/p>\n
\u201cI nominated Evie, a six-rotation outside hitter, for the award. She is a very explosive, athletic player and was a huge asset for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was constantly finding ways to score even from the back row, handled serve receive with confidence and was someone we could always count on at the net. She had a huge impact on our playoff run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tola has a 4.2 GPA at Freeport and volleyball is the only sport she plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith so many skilled athletes at the Queens event, I was honored to be named MVQ for the tournament.\u201d Tola said. \u201cI was very excited and proud when I found out about the honor. I am fully committed to volleyball and put all my time into it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy team, the Rams, was especially talented, and I was so grateful to be able to pull out the win with them. It was my first time competing in the Queens tournament, and I hope to get the chance to play in it again next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coaches for each team in the tournament are current college volleyball players. After their last pool play match, they select their MVQ option.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to see who gets picked,\u201d said John Skarupa, the tournament\u2019s founder, \u201cas it\u2019s not necessarily the best player but the one who exemplifies a true leader, energy, selflessness and mainly representing the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rams edged Princess Colussy, 26-24, in the tournament\u2019s championship match after defeating Princess Penny, 25-23, in the semifinal round.<\/p>\n
North Catholic\u2019s 6-2 sophomore OH Jillian Kalis and Oakland Catholic\u2019s 5-6 sophomore setter Kate Hartman were named MVQ for Princess Colussy and Princess Penny.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach team was very competitive, especially the Princess teams,\u201d Tola said. \u201cMy team and I battled very hard against the two Princess teams in both the semifinals and the championship. Both had great athletes with very bright futures ahead of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a rough start, finishing 2-4 in sets in pool play. When the playoffs started, our team started to click. We developed chemistry throughout the day and worked together to pull off the win. I was really proud to wear the No. 5 jersey in honor of my aunt, Ellen Jane Toy. I want to continue to carry on her love and passion for volleyball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another top player at the tournament was Baldwin\u2019s 6-foot junior MH Chelsey Weber, the MVQ on the Panthers team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very honored to have received this accolade,\u201d Weber said. \u201cIt means a lot because I know how talented my teammates were, and I look up to them. To be able to be recognized alongside them is really special to me. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was honestly very shocked but really grateful. I was probably one of the last people I expected to get it, but I was eternally thankful that other people can see the hard work that I put in behind the scenes pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weber was joined on the Panthers team by Thomas Jefferson senior Viola McNeil, a 5-10 outside hitter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competition was really strong this year,\u201d Weber said. \u201cEvery single match had long but great rallies and was extremely competitive. Having experienced this event before, I realized how much of a difference a year can make. The competition was solid last year, but I feel like it was on a whole other level this time around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to thank John and all of the Queens of the \u2018Burgh staff for working so hard to make this event special for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weber also was a track athlete at Baldwin but has opted to focus strictly on her No. 1 sport, volleyball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not compete in track anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI ultimately decided to step away from it so I could focus all my time and energy on volleyball and really take my game to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weber said she has firm hopes for a playoff run by the Baldwin girls volleyball team this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a lot of potential this season,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had nine seniors graduate last year, so all of us have been working really hard to step up and continue to develop a strong program within our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Queens of the \u2018Burgh event is four years old and had 75 registrants for its 2026 edition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis unique event features the best of local high school volleyball talent in the Pittsburgh area,\u201d Stepp said. \u201cIt provides an exciting weekend for players who come from different schools and different clubs to come together on one team and play in a competitive environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tournament provides an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of college coaches, friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas Jefferson product Delaney Concannon coached the Panthers squad in this year\u2019s tournament. Concannon is a senior outside hitter at IUP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m extremely excited for the (2026) season,\u201d she said. \u201cWith only graduating one senior from last fall, I have big expectations for the team. I would love to win another PSAC championship and at least make it to the Elite 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I graduate in December, I\u2019m staying at IUP to get my masters in speech pathology. Hopefully, during grad school, I can keep volleyball in my life by assisting the team in any way I can. I would love to eventually coach somewhere once I am all finished with school.\u201d<\/p>\n
At TJ, Concannon set single-season records in kills, blocks and hitting percentage. She received postseason honors from the PIAA, WPIAL and section.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really enjoyed the tournament,\u201d Concannon said. \u201cIt was a great way to connect with more volleyball girls from the Pittsburgh area and hopefully get some of them noticed. That way, they can play at the next level. This is a great opportunity for high school girls and something that I was proud to be a part of.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was honored to be asked to coach a Queens team this year, and I absolutely loved being involved in an event like this. I hope this tournament continues to grow and I get to play a role in it each year moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with Weber and MacNeil, players on Concannon\u2019s Panthers squad were Shenango\u2019s Adrianna Campoli (S) and Josie Offie (OH), Mars setter Gabi Weidemann, North Allegheny OH Ella Lange, Serra Catholic MH Ryleigh Carper, Woodland Hills MH Niyah Brown and Pine-Richland DS Juliet Rand.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, I thought my team was great,\u201d Concannon said. \u201cWe competed in every match we played, and the girls were able to play loose while also having fun. My pins got to play all around and get some right-side experience, which was different for some of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring pool play, I believe we only lost two sets out of the six we played. Everyone played great no matter what lineup I put on the court. The Princess team that we lost to was extremely good. Unfortunately, we lost in the first round of playoff bracket play. That game did not show how well we played earlier in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other MVQs at the high-profile event were Bella Dinkel (Thunder), a 5-5 junior setter at Greensburg Salem; Raina Lewandowski (Muskies), a 5-11 senior OH at Butler; Frankie Schlatterer (Hawks), a 6-foot senior MH for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart; and Teagan Orga (Knights), a 5-6 senior DS at Shaler.<\/p>\n
The Thunder team was coached by Bethel Park product Brooke Kessler, a DS\/L at IUP. A third IUP player who coached in the tournament was Kyra Schmidt from North Allegheny. Schmidt is a junior OH for the Crimson Hawks.<\/p>\n
Skarupa, who has coached the Avonworth girls volleyball team since 2020, has been in charge of the tournament since its inception.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, a big thank you to all the colleges, sponsors, players, parents and our own staff and coaches,\u201d Skarupa said. \u201cChartiers Valley coach Cullen Vereb helped a lot behind the scenes, and Amanda Fetter as always for helping lead the draft so we can make sure the teams are even as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cBailey Rafferty who served as our social media manager and as Princess Colussy coach, did an amazing job with all the posts and the event\u2019s program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skarupa\u2019s attachment to the sport of volleyball is striking, and contagious.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event truly is a labor of love and a gift back to the sport and Pittsburgh,\u201d Skarupa said, \u201cand it\u2019s incredibly rewarding to have all the players and parents show their appreciation and all the new friends we heard laughing and cheering all day. It\u2019s great when you see these new connections unfold and some double takes of who made a play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tournament was created and is structured as a nonprofit entity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here to help these girls grow not only through the support but personally as well,\u201d Skarupa said, \u201cand I am grateful that we have continued to have that trust every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am still proud to say that every dollar that we get for this event goes right back into the event or into the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
How important was the need to fulfill commitments in this high-profile event by both coaches and players alike?<\/p>\n
Wilson, the Albert Gallatin grad and Lynn University team member, admirably coached the Knights despite lugging around what appeared to be a cast on her sprained ankle.<\/p>\n
On display was the definition of \u201cdetermination and dedication\u201d to the sport of volleyball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Rams, led by Freeport\u2019s Evie Tola, won this year\u2019s Queens of the \u2018Burgh girls high school volleyball…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-351140","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\/351140","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=351140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}