RYAN OBELDOBEL

SCHOOL: Norwin.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-3, 150-pound senior and one of the top volleyball players in the WPIAL. He has helped Norwin attain the No. 1 ranking by the WPIAL coaches in Class AAA.

IT'S A SETUP: Obeldobel is a setter and averages 33 assists a match. He also averages five blocks. He was a second-team all-WPIAL selection last season.

"He's one of those people who is just a natural at the setter position," Norwin coach Al Warden said. "It's like he was born to be a setter."

FIGURING OUT THE SPORT: Obeldobel was pushed into volleyball by his mother. Three years ago, he was on Norwin's freshman basketball team, but things didn't go well. After the season, he decided he was giving up the sport when his mother gave him an ultimatum.

"She said I had to either get real good grades or do another sport," Obeldobel said. "I want to do well in school, but I didn't want to push grades too, too hard. Volleyball sounded easy, so I gave it a try."

He will always remember the first practice of his freshman year.

"The coach said to me, 'You're going to be our setter.' Then he said, 'Does anyone have any questions?' " Obeldobel said. "I raised my hand and said, 'I have two questions. What is a setter and how many players are on the court?' "

FUTURE: A few small colleges are interested in Obeldobel, an honors student. He doesn't know if he'll play sports in college.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Sto-Rox.

WHO IS SHE? A senior and one of the top catchers and power hitters in WPIAL softball.

PAST WEEK: The Vikings' cleanup hitter continued to take her job description literally. Kushner went 4 for 8 in three games, including a home run, a single and three RBIs April 26 against Beaver.

She had two singles and a walk Monday in a 15-0 victory against Quaker Valley, which extended the Vikings' section winning streak to 100 games.

SEASON: Heading into a Section 1-AA game against Northgate yesterday, Kushner, a right-handed hitter, was batting .533 (24 for 45) with 4 triples, 4 home runs and 31 RBIs. She had reached base in every game.

CAREER: This is Kushner's fourth year as a starter and second consecutive as a catcher. She was primarily a designated hitter as a freshman and an infielder/outfielder as a sophomore, ending that season at second base.

FUTURE: Kushner, sixth academically in her class, will play softball and basketball at Pitt-Bradford.

-- By Rick Shrum