North Catholic boys follow prom night with WPIAL volleyball title
PETERS TWP — From dancing in tuxedos and drinking from bowls of punch to becoming North Catholic’s first-ever boys volleyball WPIAL champions — it was a whirlwind 24 hours for the Trojans’ Luke Ball and Ro Alessandro.
“The boys had prom last night, so we did not practice for this,” North coach Stacie Ball said after her team’s WPIAL Class 2A title game sweep of section foe Ambridge Thursday. “It was kind of a fight to make sure they got in bed at a decent time. We got a little bit of serving and serve-receive in around 3 p.m., just to get touches on the ball.”
Ball and Alessandro are the only two seniors on the team. They went to prom in the same group, taking photos at North Park before moving on to the Marriott where the dance was held. The players enjoyed themselves at the function until 10 p.m., headed to an after-party at a friend’s house, and made sure to be home by 1 a.m. at the request of Coach Ball.
“She gave us leniency, of course, but she wanted us to all be asleep in our own beds so that we got a good night’s sleep,” the younger Ball said of his mother’s request. “I think that helped a lot.”
Coach Ball noticed a business-like focus from her group as it entered North’s gym for the walk-through the following afternoon.
“The boys kind of did it on their own,” she said. “They got home at a decent hour. The seniors kind of led. They said, ‘Hey, you know, this is our last prom, but this is the only time we’ll play in the WPIAL championship.’ ... They still were able to go out and have fun.”
