Nancy Filer’s daughter played well in Thursday’s district semifinals.

Actually, all of them did.

While the Panther Valley head volleyball coach technically has one child on the team, the rest of the players are unofficial members of the Filer family.

Needless to say, “Mom” was more than pleased with their effort after sweeping Pine Grove 25-12, 25-17, 25-8 to advance to Tuesday’s District 11 championship match.

“I have six daughters on the court at all times,” said Filer. “Yes, my daughter comes home with me, but they’re all part of my family. The whole team is a family.

“They played really well today. I’m very excited for them ... I’m sure glad they’re starting to gel. Boy, are they doing some nice things together.”

Probably the most important thing the top-seeded Panthers did against the Cardinals was not let their opponent gain any momentum.

PV jumped out to big leads in each set to establish control.

Olivia Dacey, Jenna Dubosky and Emilee Kwaak each had a pair of kills as Panther Valley bolted to a 13-1 start in the opener.

“It gives a team encouragement (if they can keep the score close early),” said Filer. “Pine Grove always comes ready to play and this was the third time we were playing them.

“I kept telling the girls this is a new beginning. It’s a new season now.”

After finishing off the Cards (11-8) in the opening set, PV raced to a 7-1 advantage in the second.

While Pine Grove battled back, pulling within 11-9, it couldn’t sustain any energy as the Panthers (18-1) rebounded with a 5-0 run.

“We can play with them at times, but we just can’t do it consistently enough,” said Cardinal mentor Daryl Wessner. “They’re good. They have a lot of firepower. We play with them in spurts, but those spurts don’t last long enough.”

Rachelle Filer provided two kills in the latter stages of that second set to help close out a 25-17 victory, and then made her presence known in the final game.

Four kills from the senior aided PV’s 11-3 start in set No. 3. She added two more later, as did Kwaak and Dubosky, while Erika Dubosky’s two aces finished off the match.

“I’m really excited. The team worked really hard together, and we were just going to come out and play with all our hearts,” said R. Filer, who finished with a team-high 10 kills. “We know we can’t lay down, and we have to try our hardest on every play. We knew we couldn’t let our guard down against them.”

Maybe the toughest challenge now for the Panthers — at least for their head coach — is waiting to play in the finals.

“This team has been so dedicated that I kind of expected them to be (in the finals) ... They’re hungry and they want it,” said Coach Filer.

“I wish (the match) was today again, because we were on fire ... We waited so long for this game. It was like five or six days ... But they’re excited. So, I’m excited.”

A FAMILIAR FOE

... The Panthers will face third-seeded Jim Thorpe in the finals at Martz Hall on Tuesday. The Olympians knocked off Notre Dame in the other semifinal match. PV defeated Thorpe twice during the regular season, once in three sets and the other time in four.

STAT LEADERS

... Jenna Dubosky finished with nine kills, two blocks and a pair of digs, while Filer added five blocks and three digs. Dacey ended with six kills and six digs, with Erika Dubosky contributing five kills, 10 digs and eight aces. Kwaak chipped in five kills and seven digs, and Sarah Zabroski had 23 assists.