POTTSVILLE — The pendulum swung one too many times against defending Schuylkill League girls volleyball champion Panther Valley on Tuesday night at Martz Hall.

Tri-Valley finally found a way to combat Panther Valley’s defense by slowing one of the league’s top players, JaeLynn Browdy. The Bulldogs contained the standout outside hitter, cooled off Kathryn Breslin and neutralized the net play of Nian Thorpe, Sophia Paton and Jessica Hackash to claim a 3-1 victory (27-25, 23-25, 28-26, 25-17).

The win sends the upstart Bulldogs into Thursday night’s championship match against unbeaten Pottsville, which had little trouble sweeping Pine Grove in three sets.

To be sure, Tri-Valley’s main focus was Browdy.

“She was our main concern, and I thought we did a pretty good job against a darn good player,” successful Bulldogs coach Courtney Scheib said when asked who her team had to worry about. “It took us a while how to attack their (defense) yet we were not without our issues ... I didn’t think we played our best.”

One player who rose above the rest was Faith Melocheck. The savvy senior hitter kept Panther Valley off balance throughout the match. She mixed powerful kills with soft touches that drove the Panthers crazy.

“She gave us fits, that’s for sure,” Panther Valley coach Nancy Filer quipped.

Melocheck had an uncanny knack for tucking her knees beneath her while elevating high above the net. When she wasn’t getting swings, her teammates were finding open spaces. The veteran lineup, featuring six senior starters, was aggressive late in each set.

Lexi Lesher created havoc with her power shots, while Kylie Clammer, the right-side hitter, used her own offensive strength to frustrate the Panthers.

“We didn’t have our (best) game, (I) thought we were playing scared and timid,” Scheib said of her attackers. “Every game we started bringing more and more and it eventually worked out for us.”

That increased aggression paid off.

Panther Valley looked strong when it jumped out to an early lead, but the Bulldogs found ways to answer in a back-and-forth opening set. Browdy tied the score at 22-22, and just when it appeared Tri-Valley was set for victory at 24-23, thanks to a nifty point off the hand of Clammer, Breslin and Danika Blazosky rallied to tie the score at 25-25.

The Bulldogs then slipped in a pair of aces from server Kirra Klinger, catching Panther Valley flat-footed.

Panther Valley responded by winning the second set, tying the match at 1-1. The Panthers appeared to be in control with a comfortable 19-11 lead. They were getting production on both ends of the floor. If Browdy wasn’t setting things up, Hackash, Paton, Thorpe and Breslin were attacking effectively.

However, things slowed to a crawl, and before Panther Valley could regroup, Tri-Valley stormed back behind Melocheck, Liv Witmer and Kenzie Tobin. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 24-23 thanks to a huge block by Klinger.

The Panthers, however, stayed the course. After a timely timeout, Browdy delivered the match-clinching kill to even the contest.

Things began to unravel for Panther Valley late in the third set. Although the Panthers forged ties at 21, 23, 25 and 26, they could never put Tri-Valley away. Panther Valley committed a return error before Summer Cupsta scored the deciding point to give the Bulldogs the set.

In the fourth set, the Panthers remained within striking distance. They trimmed a 12-5 deficit to 15-13 behind the play of Hackash, Breslin and Paton.

Tri-Valley seized the momentum and pulled away, building a 21-13 lead. To Panther Valley’s credit, the Panthers showed plenty of fight and cut the deficit to 21-17, but that was as close as they would get. The Bulldogs scored the final four points to punch their ticket to Thursday’s championship match.

“I hate to admit it, we just didn’t have our best game, what more can I say,” Filer said.

UP NEXT ... The Panthers will compete in the District 11 Class 4A tournament next week.

Tri-Valley 3, Panther Valley 1

Panther Valley 25 25 25 17

Tri-Valley 27 23 28 25

Statistics: Panther Valley - JaeLynn Browdy 13 kills, 25 assists, 7 digs; Jessica Hackash 7 kills, 8 digs; Sophia Paton 12 blocks, 7 digs; Danika Blazosky 7 kills, 16 digs; Kathryn Breslin 17 kills, 13 assists; Nina Thorpe 7 blocks, 6 digs; Tri-Valley - Faith Melocheck 31 kills, 2 blocks, 10 digs; Kirra Klinge 51 digs; Kenzie Tobin 57 assists, 10 digs; Kylie Clammer 10 kills, 7 digs; Lexi Lesher 9 kills, 4 blocks.

Records: Panther Valley (18-4); Tri-Valley (18-1).