No matter how hard Palmerton’s volleyball team tried to defend or serve, it just wasn’t able to stay the course for any period of time on Tuesday against a rising Northwestern program.

The Tigers had too much of everything – from aces, to digs, to blocks – working in a 25-11, 25-5, 25-10 Colonial League win over the Bombers.

On a night when the Northwestern’s two upperclassmen were being honored and taking their bows, it was senior Oliva Silfies leading the charge from the get-go for the winners.

Silfies used her long arms and hop to do a little bit of everything for the Tigers as she knock down six kills, while also adding six aces and nine digs.

Right behind the splendid Silfies was southpaw junior Jenna Breininger. She uncorked seven kills, seven aces and two blocks.

Right in line with her teammates was promising Siena Almonti. The 5-7 middle hitter was in the thick of things picking up six kills and three blocks along with three aces.

And one couldn’t overlook Mia Ritter, who got the nod as setter. Wth Brooke Dwane saddled with a foot injury, Ritter was a standout in a fill-in role, producing 21 assists and serving up six aces.

“I was pleased with our serving,” said first-year Northwestern coach Mike Maston. “My freshman (Almonti) did a good job ... we kept the ball moving and were able to generate points.”

That showed up right in the opening set when the Tigers roared to a commanding 11-2 lead. The duo of Ritter and Averie Zentz were doing the serving honors, with the latter holding serve for five straight points.

When Silfies and Breininger held serve, that produced a run of six more points, before Ritter came around for her second time at the line to close out a dominating the first set.

“Olivia (Silfies) is one of our team captains and a big leader, Jenna (Breininger) she’s a lefty and strong,” Maston said. “We want to be aggressive and we want to set the pace. When you play some of these teams, they’re aggressive and if you’re not, they’re going to hit the ball right back at you.”

That style of play showed up in the second set, which may have been a near-perfect act for the Tigers. The home team was never challenged, zooming out to a 17-2 lead. Breininger was on fire in a rally that saw her serve 10 unanswered points, while Silfies had a pair of aces in the early getaway.

But the Blue Bombers never packed it in, and in the third set, they seized a 5-3 lead to open with Kaitlyn Heimbach and Emma Drehemsis hitting the throttle in the early part of the set. But the Tigers quickly gained control and closed out the sweep.

“We’re very young, we’re learning and with a bunch of underclassmen on the floor against a good team like Northwestern, it’s something you can’t teach (in practice),” Palmerton coach Marsha Thomas said. “We’ve got a lot of sophomores and juniors we’re working into the lineup, and we’re looking to keep building. We’re getting better each game.”

The Tigers should be a strong contingent as the season moves forward. With only two seniors, Maston has his team in the thick of the Colonial League battle as they improved to 5-2.