Tim Toy was on the move Friday and Saturday, making sure everyone involved with the fourth annual We Serve First Foundation’s all-star girls volleyball classic had everything they needed, and the event went off without a hitch.
At the same time, the foundation’s executive director was able to sit back and enjoy the talent of 44 seniors from schools throughout the WPIAL.
For Toy and others, the event at Kiski Area High School was a celebration of high school girls volleyball in the region and the recently completed 2025 season that saw many of the players lead their teams to section titles, playoff berths or championship glory.
“Every year, I am impressed with how the coaches put their teams together but also put their players in positions to be successful,” Toy said of the work done by this year’s coaches of the four all-star teams: Canon-McMillan’s Sheila Mitchell-Rodi, North Hills’ Annalise Shank, Norwin’s Mary Ellen Ferragonio, and Pine-Richland’s Angela Seman.
“It’s not easy to do that in 24 hours after the draft (Friday evening). I really respect them for being able to work it to develop chemistry and communication between players who most likely are playing with each other for the first time.”
Saturday’s games involving the four teams got their genesis Friday as the coaches drafted their teams.
“As somebody who has drafted many fantasy football teams, the draft is almost as fun as the competition itself,” Toy said.
“The draft will never not be a part of what we do with this. For the coaches, it is what makes this whole thing worth it for them. They all drafted really well. There were some surprises, and it was a fun and wild ride. But when the dust settled, the teams were pretty even, and you saw that Saturday with the competitiveness of the games.”
Jenny McDowell, a former player at Plum under Toy’s wife, Ellen, who was a driving force behind the start of the We Serve First foundation in 2015, led the players in a two-hour practice session.
“Jenny brought so much energy into that practice,” Tim Toy said. “She wanted to see enthusiasm, connection, and energy during and after each point. They really responded to her. I wasn’t surprised because they are all good kids and are all eager to work hard and improve their games.”
McDowell, who also had a standout career at Georgia before a successful 27 years at Emory University in Georgia, also conducted a Future Stars youth clinic Saturday before the all-star games.
“She brought a different layer to this event, and I was so proud to have her here,” Toy said.
The Gold Team, led by all-star tournament MVP Natalie Carr, an outside hitter from Canon-McMillan and a Youngstown State commit, won all three of its pool games and rolled to the title with victories over Team Purple and Team Blue in the bracket playoffs.
Team Gold, with coach Mitchell-Rodi, also featured Anna Yeterian (defensive specialist, Armstrong), Jaisa Gaillot (setter, Freeport), Julia Mason (setter, Butler), Josalin McCauley (outside hitter, Apollo-Ridge), Lila Welshans (outside hitter, Kiski Area), Mayzie Bonifili (opposite, Hampton), Meadow Keyes (middle hitter, Burrell), Makayla Keibler (middle hitter, Kiski Area), Alena Tekely (setter, Knoch and Maria Piraino (libero, Franklin Regional).
Team Blue, fronted by coach Ferragonio and Norwin opposite hitter Ashlyn Black, was the third seed for the playoffs but made it to the final, where it fell to Team Gold, 25-17.
Black, an all-tournament selection at hitter, savored the opportunity to play in the all-star classic. She said she more than likely won’t play volleyball at the varsity level in college as she instead will focus studying toward becoming a pilot.
“It was cool to play with people who are usually on the opposite side of the net,” Black said. “It was an honor to play with some of the best girls in the area. It was a great challenge for everybody. With having a practice before the games, the coaches focused on just having fun. But, at the same time, a lot of it is about being competitive, and the games were definitely competitive.”
Others to make the all-tournament team were Mason (setter), Fox Chapel middle hitter Emma DiRocco (Team Orange), and Upper St. Clair libero Sarah Mchane (Team Blue).
“I played against a lot of the girls on my (Team Orange) team during the regular season,” said DiRocco, an Old Dominion commit. “When playing them, I would always wonder what it would be like to play on the same team, which I had never gotten to do. It was a lot of fun to play with so many great players.
“It was such a fun and relaxed experience. The stands were full of people. We all had done the hard work, and it came down to being on the court doing what we love one last time.”
Cambra Fersch, an outside hitter from Springdale, was selected the recipient of the tournament’s Jaime Vick-Moran Teammate Award.
The award is named in memory of the Kiski Area graduate and basketball standout who later served as a volleyball assistant coach with Ellen Toy. Vick-Moran died in 2012 after a battle with leukemia.
Tim Toy said he was grateful for each team sponsor — Edgar Snyder and Associates, Queens of the Burgh, Andrew C. Virostek Foundation, and Murrysville SportZone — for helping make the classic possible.
“Sponsorship was what drove this whole thing, and what we can make at the event itself pales in comparison to what we can do if we have great cooperation from sponsors,” he said. “This year, we broke records. This is the first time we had all four teams sponsored.”
Toy said that events like these, with all the moving parts, are impossible without the best help from so many volunteers.
“We are so grateful to everyone who gave up a better part of this weekend to volunteer, participate, and attend the Classic,” he said.