POTTSVILLE – So it has been written … so it has been done.

For the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, there will be no Catholic high school getting crowned a District 11, Class A volleyball championship.

That can be blamed on a very athletic Tri-Valley volleyball team, who turned the tables on Marian in four sets in the hallowed, legendary Martz Hall, before a large and boisterous crowd of rooters.

By snapping the stranglehold, the Bulldogs now move into the next round of play - the PIAA state tournament - to face the winner of District 3.

As for the newly-crowned champions, Tri-Valley played with a mission on its mind. Keep in mind, too, the Bulldogs were beaten twice during the regular season by the Fillies, which led their coach, Courtney Scheib, to say, “The third time is a charm.”

The Bulldogs seemed totally in sync. They rallied around their dynamic hitters, use the setters to set the table and made few mistakes – physically or mentally. The eventual winners claimed set wins of 26-24 and 26-24, and the only slippage came in the third set, when the Fillies seemed to take a big, bold step in trying to capture the momentum it was seeking all evening, but unable to sustain any consistency.

Marian won the third set, 27-25, but never seemed to be a dominating force the way it played throughout the regular season. Tri-Valley, on the other hand, was making things happen. It never ceased to stumble, and it kept finding a way to transition. Just take, for example, the killing fourth set. Tri-Valley got off to a rocky start, watching Marian seize a 15-11 lead.

No problem. The Dawgs just kept swinging, made play after play and leapt in front with a twist of fate, the way champions find a way to exorcise any demons. Tri-Valley turned to heavy hitter Oliva Lupole, and when she wasn’t getting her monster smashes for kills, there was sophomore Kylie Clemmer, another outside hitter. Lest we forget, Ellie Dunkleberger, who had a whole lot of swagger at the net. If that choir wasn’t clicking, coach Scheib had two other sophomores in Libero Kirra Klinger, and outside hitter Faith Melocheck, sister of Callie Melocheck.

The difference from the previous meetings: confidence.

“We kept getting closer and closer (to beating them),” said Scheib. “Our (confidence level) was very high this time. We kept pushing (in practice) all week saying, ‘We’re taking it this time’.”

That was evident. In the opening set they raced to a 9-5 lead, and even though Marian found footing to close the gap, Tri-Valley was pounding and pounding, not leaving the foot off the gas. There was a crosscourt kill from the hand of Emma Moore, and two straight kills from Lupole that thrust her team to a 22-16 lead.

Marian had some punch in the fight when it tied the game 24-24, thanks to unsung Lara Cancio, who was steady all evening for the Fillies. But Marian looked very unsure of itself, committing two errors and giving the Bulldogs the huge lift they were hoping for.

Schieb said during the two other matches her kids were backing off; this time they kept getting blocks at the net. That in itself was all her team needed to overtake Marian.

“Hesitation, for sure,” Maria Currie the first-year coach said of her Fillies. “We (played) unsure…. we played (only) in spurts.”

Marian kept chasing its foe. It fell behind in the second set, 19-13, then roared back and seemed to have that much-needed spunk, tying the set 24-24. Tri-Valley had answers, scoring two straight points, to flatten Marian at this juncture.

Even though Marian had rallied with a lot of heart, the gusto needed to take them over the top just never surfaced. The Fillies reeled off a four-point lead in the third set, watched Tri-Valley counter back, then it became a white-knuckler. Marian tied it at 24 thanks to Kali Grochowski, retied it at 25 on a rare Tri-Valley miscue, and finally got the better of things when the Dawgs misplayed two straight volleys for errors, allowing Marian to get its only set win, 27-25.

The clock kept beating for Tri-Valley, undaunted by the Fillies set win, it never let things get away, blasting away with kills and aces to topple the defending district champions from their throne.

“This means everything for us,” Scheib said. “This is the first time ever Tri-Valley won a district championship.”

And to think, the first time a team named Marian or Nativity hasn’t won it in nearly 25 years.

OFF THE NETS … The only thing Tri-Valley failed at was rotations. Twice it was flagged for not having its rotation correctly, and each time costing it a point.

IMPRESSIVE … Tri-Valley’s height was a problem for Marian the entire evening. What was another killer for the Fillies is that their setting wasn’t the best, and they didn’t allow Isabella Horvath, Grochowski and Cancio to do their thing.

KEEPING HER AT BAY … Tri-Valley coach Scheib said her big worry was containing Marian’s Alena Lombardo. The tall junior was held in check most of the evening, thanks to Clemmer, Dunkelberger and Lupole.

THE FIGURES … Lombardo garnered 9 kills and 1 block; Grochowski 7 kills, 27 digs, 1 block; Horvath 3 aces, 3 kills, 25 digs; Maddy Davis checked in with 7 kills; and Cancio added 8 kills, 4 digs.