There’s a popular saying in the sports world that states “championships are won in the offseason.”

For the Panther Valley volleyball team — a team that has won three straight district championships — that statement could certainly hold true.

Except there is one discrepancy in the age-old adage when referring to the Panthers.

According to Panther Valley head coach Nancy Filer and her players, their program has no offseason. The Panthers hard work and dedication, putting in the time in the gym when most other teams aren’t, has helped them collect three consecutive District 11 2A gold medals, including a 2018 Schuylkill League Championship.

“I’ve never seen dedication like this, we don’t have an offseason, and they know that and they embrace it. They want to be in the gym year-round,” said Filer. “And I’ve honestly never seen in their faces that they didn’t want to be there.

“They never say, ‘Oh coach, can we get out early or is it time to go.’ They love the court, they love volleyball and they love to practice. It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime group.”

The Panthers have a roster full of great players from grades 9-12, and will have a solid nucleus returning next season from this year’s championship team. But senior leadership is key when going on a championship run, and although Panther Valley has just three seniors in Rachelle Filer, Sarah Zabroski and Emilee Kwaak, all three played pivotal roles throughout the season and once again came through for the Panthers on Tuesday night.

Filer finished with nine kills against the Olympians, while Zabroski added 13 assists and Kwaak was crucial from the offensive end late in the third set. The 2018 Panther Valley senior group helped to tie everything together.

“Trust me, the younger girls didn’t need much motivation, but me and the other two seniors just tried our best to push these girls,” said Filer. “But this team is full of leaders. I don’t think there’s one specific leader, we just try and lead by example, putting in the time to get better.”

Fellow classmate Kwaak believes that all three seniors bring something different to the table, and that has helped make the Panthers successful in 2018.

“I think we all bring different skill sets,” said Kwaak. “Sarah, she is quick and is a great setter for us, and Rachelle blocks a lot of balls, she can be dominant at the net. I’ve been able to improve as the season has gone on. I think I was struggling a bit earlier in the year, but I think myself and all of the girls are playing well and with confidence.”

For a team as dominant as Panther Valley has been over the past three seasons, the writing is usually on the wall where a coach can tell that a group has the ability to become special. For Filer, she saw exactly that from this bunch, going all the way back to their youth days.

“I remember when a lot of these girls were playing together when they were 10 and they lost pretty much every game, but the talent was definitely there, they were just learning the game. And in one of our last tournaments, they went out and beat one of the best teams we saw all year,” said Filer. “I knew then that if these girls all stayed together and worked hard they could be special, and here we are five, six, and seven years later.”