MINERSVILLE — Pottsville eliminated Panther Valley in the Schuylkill League volleyball tournament semifinals 3-0 on Wednesday, but the final score doesn’t tell just how evenly matched the two teams were.

Consider:

• The score was tied 30 different times, 17 in the second game.

• Pottsville had just three aces while Panther Valley had just two.

• Two of the three games required play beyond 25 points.

• The Panthers had 39 total kills, while Pottsville had 33.

• In the second game, neither team led by more than two points. In the final game, PV led by four at one point, while Pottsville had a five-point lead later.

Despite the competitiveness of the match, the numbers that mattered most favored the Tide as they posted a 25-16, 27-25 and 26-24 victory.

“I expected Panther Valley to play strong, and they did play strong,” said Pottsville coach Kara Braeutigam.

Panther Valley was the two-time defending Schuylkill League champion, and while a three-peat wasn’t in the cards, they went down swinging.

For the most part, the dynamic Panther trio of Olivia Dacey, Jenna Dubosky and Jenna’s younger sister, Erika Dubosky, had extremely impressive performances.

Olivia had 14 kills and seven digs; Jenna had 12 kills, 20 assists and seven digs; and Erika had nine kills and six digs.

First-year starter Natalie White, a junior, had one of her best nights at the net, especially in the third game when she had three consecutive blocks.

The Tide, though, had even more depth and weaponry.

“As long as we use all of our weapons, and we did, we’ll win,” Braeutigam said. “Everybody performed tonight. Everybody did their job. We played as a team. It’s a team win.”

In the first game, three consecutive kills by Dacey and one by Erika Dubosky helped the Panthers pull in front 6-3. But the Tide came back to grab a 19-14 lead before finishing things off with a 6-2 closing spurt.

The second game saw the Panthers out front much of the time, but never by more than two points. A block by White, and an out-of-bounds hit by Pottsville, had the Panthers on the brink of victory at 24-22.

The Tide roared back, however, as kills by Caleigh O’Pake and Elizabeth Rakus tied the score at 24.

Lyddia Malaska hit a soft push shot over the net to give the Panthers a 25-24 lead, but a service error, a net violation and a blocked shot produced a three-point run that gave Pottsville the victory.

In game three, the Panthers took a quick 7-3 lead. But Pottsville returned with five consecutive points, and retained the lead for most of the game.

Panther Valley did manage to tie the game at 23, and again at 24, but an error on a ball that hit the ceiling followed by a well-placed hit by Pottsville’s Lexi Vandermartin advanced the Tide to the finals.

“I’m proud of the fact that we didn’t give up,” said Panthers head coach Emilie Baker. “We went in and we didn’t roll over and die in that last set so that was a good thing.”

She praised Dacey and the Dubosky sisters, saying, “All three are real good athletes. They know where to put the ball.”

She was especially pleased with Dacey. “Olivia really showed up today with her hitting. She and Jenna were all-state last year, and I hope they are all-state again this year.”

It’s the second time this season Panther Valley lost to Pottsville. The Tide are the only team to beat the Panthers this season.

FINALS MATCHUP ... In the opening match of the doubleheader at Minersville High School, Blue Mountain defeated Pottsville Nativity, 3-2. Blue Mountain and Pottsville will play for the Schuylkill League Championship at 7 tonight at Martz Hall.

LATE NIGHT ... The contest between Blue Mountain and Nativity took nearly two hours, meaning the PV-Pottsville match didn’t get started until 7:55 p.m. It didn’t end until about 9:15.

UP NEXT ... The Panthers will open District 11 Class 2A tournament action next week.