ORWIGSBURG – There was plenty of sweat in the hot gym on the campus of Blue Mountain High School by the time the nightcap of the opening round of the District 11 Class 2A girls volleyball doubleheader had finished.

But little of that sweat belonged to top-seeded and defending district champion Panther Valley as it posted a dominating three-game sweep of fourth-seed Schuylkill Haven.

The Panthers made short work of Haven, rolling to a 25-14, 25-13, 25-21 victory on Thursday evening.

The win vaults Panther Valley back into the title game on Tuesday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall where it will battle Schuylkill League foe, Pine Grove, which upset second-seed Jim Thorpe in the night’s opening match.

Panther Valley coach Nancy Filer was determined to keep her one-loss team focused against a Haven team that came in with an 8-12 record.

“I tell my girls never, never take anyone for granted. That’s my rule,” said Filer emphatically. “I wanted a strong start, which we got, and I wanted us to play error free, and I think we did a pretty good job of it tonight.”

Indeed, the Lady Panthers were forging a championship statement bolting out to an 11-5 lead never looking back in the first set. Junior setter Sarah Zabroski had three aces in the first set, and senior Christina Dacey carved out a pair of aces as PV cruised.

There was no letup by Panthers in set two as they charged in front 22-13, before using three straight return errors by the Hurricanes to close it out. Dacey picked up her third ace of the evening in the game and sophomore setter Gianna Steber added an ace of her own.

“It was a long night before we got out there,” said Filer about the two-plus hours of volleyball between Pine Grove and Jim Thorpe. “Our girls were patiently waiting, but it’s not easy. Considering the wait we had, I think we were pretty consistent.”

Schuylkill Haven did seize an early 6-2 lead in the third game and were tied at 15-15, before the Panthers broke free to go on top 24-19. A Rachelle Filer serve then closed out the victory.

“We have a big one coming up,” said Filer referring to the District championship match. “But once you get to this point, they’re all big ones.”

OFF THE DECK… Panthers’ defense is as good as any around. They come up with big dig after big dig.

KILL LEADERS… Erika Dubosky led the way with seven kills for the Panthers. Emily Kwaak and Filer had six each, Oliva Dacey had five, and Jenna Dubosky added four.