POTTSVILLE – Panther Valley head coach Nancy Filer watched her team come of age last season.

Filer saw the Panthers take another step forward Tuesday night.

Panther Valley downed Pine Grove 25-21, 20-25, 25-9, 25-19, claiming its second straight title and adding another chapter to the program’s already impressive history.

The top-seeded Panthers tasted success last year, knocking off Minersville in the district final.

That victory, along with constant play during the offseason, has been a driving force for the team this year.

“This team is very competitive,” said Filer. “They’re competitive, because they want the win. They want to win. They want it all.”

Panther Valley showed its resolve after the No. 3 seed Cardinals took the second set 25-20.

The Panthers never panicked, winning the third set 25-9 to seize control of the match.

“We had a slow start in the second set,” said Jenna Dubosky, who had 17 kills, 12 assists, two blocks and two digs. “And we needed to have a faster pace, so that’s what we did for the third set. We had a service run, we came back and we had a good win.”

With outside hitter Olivia Dacey serving, Panther Valley went on a 6-0 run to start the third set. Dacey recorded seven kills, seven service points and six digs in the match.

“Coming in, I didn’t really have any nerves because I knew I had to play good, and everyone had to come together and we had to play a good game,” said Dacey. “I wasn’t really nervous.”

The Panthers (17-1) weren’t nervous, because they’ve done it before.

“They know how to win them,” Filer said of her team’s experience in big matches. “And now, they know how to win and dominate a little bit. And I’m hoping it keeps going.”

Erika Dubosky wasn’t a part of last year’s title run. But the freshman middle hitter displayed an unflappable demeanor against Pine Grove, with 15 kills, 10 digs and five blocks.

“She (Filer) said we needed to play with our hearts, and get our act together,” Dubosky said of the moment between sets.

“Coach just said to play our hardest, and we tried,” said Rachelle Filer, who added nine service points, five blocks, four kills and two digs.

Pine Grove (11-7) battled in the fourth set, leading 6-5 and tying it at 7-7. But every time the Cardinals got close, the Panthers pulled away.

“We played them, I think, as tough as we could,” said Pine Grove head coach Daryl Wessner. “They’re the better team. They’re more aggressive, and I think in the end, that’s gonna wear on you a little bit more. They serve harder, hit harder, and you can only keep up with that so long, and that’s what happened tonight. We fought the whole time, and I’m pleased.

“Tonight, I thought we did well. I thought we bounced back … we just came up a little short.”

Panther Valley will play at District 1 champion New Hope-Solebury on Thursday. New Hope-Solebury defeated St. Basil Academy for the District 1 title.

It’s an opportunity for the Panthers to take another step forward in their journey.

“This was one of our goals from the beginning of the season,” said captain Christina Dacey, who had 10 kills, six digs and one block. “We have our goals set even higher now, because we want to keep moving forward from here. So we’re excited.

“Being a senior, this was my goal. I wanted to keep advancing farther in the postseason. So now that we’re here, I just want to keep going.”

STAT LINE … Abrianna Chua had 19 digs for Pine Grove, while sophomore Maura Lehman added 11 kills and junior Gabrielle Brown tallied 19 assists.

HONORED … Dacey was recognized after the game for recording 500 career service points. She had 17 service points against the Cardinals. Sarah Zabroski had 20 assists, seven service points and two digs for the Panthers. Emilee Kwaak added seven kills, one block and one dig.

ROLLING … Panther Valley’s only loss this season was a 3-2 setback against Marian in the Schuylkill League semifinals.