With just two seniors and a relatively young roster, the Panther Valley volleyball program was expected to go through some growing pains early in the season.

It doesn't look like anybody told the Panthers.The young Panthers grinded out their eighth straight victory of the season to stay unbeaten, sweeping Lehighton in three games 25-21, 26-24 and 25-18.The first set of the night was a battle, as Lehighton made a run late in the set to tie things up with the Panthers at 19-19. After another skirmish where PV took a two-point lead, the Tribe's Katie Higgins brought them to within one, 22-21.But just like the Panthers have been able to do all season, they finished strong with help from junior Christina Dacey. Dacey scored two of Panther Valley's last three points with a kill and a momentum-changing block at the net to grab the first-game victory."We've been able to play really resilient volleyball all season long," said Panther Valley head coach Nancy Filer. "Our girls never quit, there's a lot of fight in them and even when we're down, we always have a chance to come back."Lehighton had its chance to clinch the second game with an 18-13 lead midway through the match. However, seven errors in the next nine possessions allowed the Panthers to tie the score. The window opened by the Indians was taken advantage of by Panther Valley as big hits from Emiliee Kwaak and Danielle Hudicka gave PV a 22-20 lead.Once again, Higgins brought Lehighton back to even with her powerful right arm, but two more Indians' errors aided the Panthers in regaining control for the game-two win."Unfortunately, we're not making the plays when we need to," said Lehighton head coach T.J. O'Connor. "We had a four-or-five point lead in the second game going into our fourth rotation and we couldn't do enough to hold our lead until our top hitter got back in the front row. We need to just get back at it, work harder, and fix some of the mistakes we made tonight."After a hard-fought first two games from Lehighton, the Panthers turned on the afterburners. PV got out to an 20-10 lead and never looked back. Five different Panthers had kills in the set as they finished off the Tribe 25-18 for the sweep.The Panthers theme of the night was versatility. There's not just one PV player that can hurt you, there's six or seven, and that's a big reason why its had such a successful start to the season."I love that about this team. We have a lot of girls who can do a lot of things. We have good, skilled players on this team," said Filer. "If someone isn't having a great night, the other girls pick them up. That's a testament to how hard these girls work in the off-season."ACROSS THE BOARD ... The Panthers received solid performances from a bevy of its players. Kwaak led the charge with six kills, six service points, and six digs. Chloe Markovich and Rachelle Filer added five kills each, while Dacey and Hudicka chipped in with eight service points apiece. Sydney Clouser was impressive on the defensive end with 13 digs, while freshman Jenna Dubosky added nine digs and three kills.LEHIGHTON DUO ... The Indians' Higgins and Emily Haberman played well, as Higgins came through with 12 kills, four aces, and 16 digs, and Haberman finished with 16 assists and nine digs.