It was a different year, and a different Dubosky.

But 2020 provided another example of how power and versatility equaled success for the Panther Valley volleyball program.

For the last two years, Erika Dubosky played the role of sous chef as older sister Jenna created masterpiece after masterpiece on the court.

But with Jenna graduated, Erika was thrust into a new role - and she responded with a gourmet creation of her own.

“Erika was a tremendous player for us,” said Panther Valley coach Emilie Baker. “She’s so athletic and so versatile, that we could use her just about anywhere on the court - and we pretty much did exactly that.

“Erika had an incredible four-year career, but I think this had to be her best season overall because of how much she had to do, and how well she did it.”

Dubosky produced a season that put a fitting cap on her Panther career. In addition to adding to her school-record career numbers in kills and aces, she also moved into the role of part-time setter. She excelled in all her roles - compiling 226 kills, 114 assists, 53 digs, 52 aces and 14 blocks.

But as impressive as her numbers were - and they were extremely impressive - the continued success of the Panther Valley volleyball program wouldn’t have been possible without the intangibles Dubosky provided.

The Panthers compiled a 15-5 record, won the Schuylkill League Division 2 title, reached the Schuylkill League playoff semifinals and advanced to the District 11 Class 2A title game - all that despite losing four starters from the previous year’s team.

“We lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy to replace that,” said Dubosky. “But just as importantly, we lost a lot of leadership that Jenna and the other seniors provided.

“I thought it was important for me to not only play well, but to also be a leader on the court. I tried to do that by my actions and also vocally. If things weren’t going well, or we were in a tight match, I tried to encourage the younger players and help them relax.”

No one appreciated Dubosky’s contributions more than Baker.

“Erika was all over the court for us,” Baker said. “We played her at outside hitter, at middle hitter, she was great defensively, and we even used her as a setter.

“She’s the type of player that does everything well. We honestly could have stuck her at libero and she would have excelled there too. She was willing to do whatever she could to help the team.”

While the kills, blocks, aces and digs were nothing new for Dubosky, the assists certainly were.

“Last year, I used to joke around at practice with coach Baker that I could be a setter,” recalled Dubosky about how the additional role came about. “During our first couple of open gyms this season, coach said that might not actually be a joke anymore.

“We didn’t have any experienced setters returning, so when I was in the back row of our rotation, coach started fooling around with me setting and we eventually decided to go with it. I had never set before, and it’s not something your 5-11 middle hitter normally does. But I really enjoyed that role this season.”

Something else Dubosky enjoys is competing. Whether it’s games or practices, she’s always looking to improve, according to her coach.

No one brought out that competitive spirit more than sister Jenna, who captured back-to-back Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Volleyball Player of the Year awards in 2018 and 2019.

This season, Erika ran the Dubosky streak to three straight years, earning the 2020 TN/LVHN Volleyball Player of the Year award.

“We are both competitive in just about everything we do,” Erika said about her relationship with Jenna. “I used to love going against her in practices. Jenna is such a great player, that it pushed me to get better.”

Baker said the Dubosky sisters had different strengths on the court, but shared one very important trait.

“They both wanted to win more than anything,” said Baker. “Whether it was a random point during practice or playing in a championship match, they always pushed themselves to be the best players they could be.”

That mentality and work ethic obviously paid huge dividends.

Erika will leave Panther Valley holding the career record for both kills (958) and aces (405). She also amassed over 500 digs during her four years.

With those type of numbers, it’s probably inaccurate to think of Erika in the role of sous chef the last few seasons.

In reality, she was more like the executive chef in waiting - one who served up a banquet of incredible performances this season and throughout her career.