POTTSVILLE - The serve can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

During Tuesday's District 11 class A championship against Nativity, the Fillies and the serve appeared to be close companions.It was the third clash between the two storied rivals this season, with both prior meetings going to five-full sets. The stakes and pressure were both high, with a state tournament berth on the line.Time after time, it was the fierce, accurate serving of Marian that often gave the Fillies a little room to breathe throughout the evening.The dynamic duo of Jasmine Mooney and Gianna Agosti combined for 25 service points and 17 aces to help Marian defeat Nativity in four sets.Mooney's serving changed the entire complexion of the first set when she made her visit to the line.Her serves were booming and could be heard echoing throughout Martz Hall, despite both student sections going wild. The first set was deadlocked at 4-4 when the junior stifled Nativity with four-straight aces that were essentially unhittable from a receiver's standpoint. Marian fed off Mooney's momentum and the Fillies won the first set."I just stand back there and I focus in," said Mooney. "I know that's the only thing that I can control on my own. It's tough playing each other three times in a season. You learn each other's strengths and weaknesses. This win is one of the best feelings ever."After Nativity took the second set, it was another Fillie who stepped up with spectacular serving in the third set.As Marian trailed early in the sequence, it was Gianna Agosti who ripped off seven-straight service points to give her team an early head of steam."I've worked really hard on it," explained Agosti after the win with a District 11 medal around her neck. "We all worked hard on it at practice because we know the mistakes that we make. We've been doing pretty well with it. It was most of our own mistakes that hurt."If we kept the ball in bounds we knew we'd be OK. We have a lot of team chemistry and it feels great to win a district championship. I'm glad my serving could contribute to that."Just two points later, Mooney was back up to serve and she finished what Agosti started. Mooney strung together five more service points (three aces), which gave Marian a hefty 17-6 advantage."I was really proud of her (Agosti) this game," Mooney said. "She helped out so much during this win and there is no better feeling than having the opportunity to go back to states. We think we're going to go pretty far this year, hopefully to the championship again."We've been working really hard and we think we deserve it."The Fillies will aim to serve their way deep into the state postseason next week.