PIAA switches volleyball to 6 classifications
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Girls volleyball will be undergoing a change in alignment in more ways that one for the 2026-27 season.
The PIAA has switched the fall sport from four to six classifications and area teams found out which sections they would be in for the next two-year cycle starting this fall.
Three local teams have been slotted in at the Class 5A level, two at Class 4A, three at Class 3A, seven in Class 2A and two in Class A.
Perennial power Frazier will be part of Section 4-2A which is made up entirely of area teams. The Lady Commodores are joined by California, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Beth-Center, Mapletown and West Greene.
Lady Commodores coach Mandy Hartman, who has led Frazier to a pair of WPIAL championships, was pleased with the move to six classifications.
“There has been so much growth in the sport of girls volleyball,” Hartman said. “More and more schools are sponsoring teams, therefore, the additional classifications are not only necessary but reflect the progression of the sport.”
Albert Gallatin, Connellsville and Uniontown will all be part of Section 2-5A along with Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Indiana, Kiski and Penn-Trafford.
Laurel Highlands is a classification lower and will be part of Section 2-4A with Belle Vernon, along with East Allegheny, Elizabeth Forward, Greensburg Salem, Ringoold, Valley and West Mifflin.
The three local teams in Class 3A are Brownsville, Southmoreland and Waynesburg Central, who are all in Section 4-3A with Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey and Yough.
The two teams in Class A are Geibel Catholic and Calvary Chapel, which is based in Brownsville.
Mount Pleasant is the lone area school that does not field a girls volleyball team.