Ironically, the key to North Allegheny claiming its first WPIAL Class AAA girls' volleyball championship since 1996 was an injury to the Tigers' best player.

Jackie Lang, an experienced senior right-side hitter, missed a considerable stretch of the regular season, but her return strengthened an already strong lineup.

"Losing Jackie actually helped us to become a better team," North Allegheny coach Dan Schall said. "Everybody had to pick up their play during the two weeks she was out.

"It gave a couple other players a chance to step up and fill her shoes. When Jackie returned, we were stronger and deeper."

Lang, a two-time WPIAL and Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star, returned just in time for the WPIAL playoffs. With Lang sparking a "stronger and deeper" lineup, North Allegheny recorded four consecutive in the 16-team Class AAA bracket.

The No. 3-seeded Tigers capped their title run with a 3-1 victory against No. 5 seed Pine-Richland in the championship match.

"I had no idea what to think," said Lang, recalling her sprained ankle that occurred Oct. 3, putting her season on hold. "It happened during practice. My parents were out of town. Luckily, my cousins were able to drive me to the hospital.

"They talked me through it by telling me everything would be alright. That really helped me."

North Allegheny's deeper lineup was evident in the title match, as Lang finished third on the team in kills. Leeanne Haus, a 5-foot-9 junior middle hitter, led the Tigers with 24 kills. Gretta Freyermuth, a 5-9 senior outside hitter, had 13 and Lang had nine.

"The team got a chance to experience the feeling of what it's like without me on the court," Lang said. "That really helped when I returned.

"I didn't have to be the star. I had other teammates who were ready to take on that role."

The threesome of Haus, Freyermuth and Lang accounted for more than 60 percent of North Allegheny's offense.

"We were really concerned when Jackie sprained her ankle," Freyermuth said. "It was near the end of the [regular] season and we still had to play Butler and Seneca Valley [in Section 3-AAA matches].

"We beat Butler and had to share the section title when Seneca Valley beat us."

North Allegheny didn't have to share the WPIAL title with anybody. The Tigers qualified for the tournament by tying Seneca Valley for first place in Section 3-AAA. They earned a spot in the title match with a 3-1 win against Hempfield Area, a 3-2 win against Butler, and a three-game sweep of Mt. Lebanon.

"They are a very strong team; solid at every position," Pine-Richland coach Emily Gerega said. "The games were close, except for the fourth one. It's a game of momentum and they seized the momentum in the second game."

Pine-Richland tied with Butler for third place in Section 3-AAA. The Rams earned their title-match berth with a 3-0 win against Penn Hills in the first round, a 3-1 victory against No. 4 seed Moon Area in the quarterfinals, and a 3-2 upset of top seed Seneca Valley in the semifinals.

"The strength of our section played a big part in us winning the title," Freyermuth said. "Every match was tough. It helped prepare us for the playoffs."

The title match marked the third time that North Allegheny and Pine-Richland met this season. The other two came in section matchups and North Allegheny won all three.

"[Pine-Richland] played great in the title match," Schall said. "Defensively, they brought back balls we hadn't seen all year."

Pine-Richland played well enough to open the title match with a 25-22 victory.

"I was a little concerned when we lost the first game," Freyermuth said. "We just needed to step it up in the second game."

North Allegheny jumped out to a 9-3 lead in game two and eventually recorded a 25-21 victory. From that point on, the Tigers took charge and won the next two games, 25-20 and 25-15.

"In the second game, North Allegheny made fewer errors than we did. That was the difference," Gerega said. "We found ourselves digging a bigger hole with each mistake we made and we couldn't climb out.

"Volleyball is a challenging game, especially on a stage like this in the WPIAL championship match. The little things matter. [North Allegheny] did the little things well today. They deserved to win the title."

Both Lang and Freyermuth were members of North Allegheny's WPIAL runner-up squad in 2006.

"My sophomore year I got a silver medal, and last year I got a bronze," Freyermuth said. "This year was going to be the year that I won a gold medal."

"It's a perfect ending to my senior year," Lang said. "I got a silver medal my sophomore year. I wanted to go out with a gold medal.

"I'm so excited about states. I think we have a good shot of winning. We've come a long way since the beginning of the season."

North Allegheny and Pine-Richland qualified for the PIAA tournament, which began on Tuesday. North Allegheny opened with a 3-0 sweep of City League champion Schenley. Pine-Richland defeated District 10 champion Erie McDowell, 3-1. Both advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow.