It was meeting number three in 2021. It was also third time’s the charm for the Parkland High School girls volleyball team as the undefeated Trojans once again got the better of Emmaus, winning in straight sets in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference final at Central Catholic’s Rockne Hall last Thursday evening. Scores of the match were 25-22, 25-15, 25-12. It was the second straight conference crown for Parkland.

Emmaus junior Ava Holden had back-to-back blocks to tie the score at 6-6 in the first set. Parkland built a 17-13 lead after a kill from senior Brynn Dreisbach and an ace by junior Scarlett Jago.

Emmaus cut the deficit to 21-20 and momentarily appeared to tie the game thanks to a hit from Lily Hulbert.

The ball, however, glanced off a basketball hoop on the way down, which prevented the Trojans from being able to play it.

The point was replayed and Dreisbach followed with a kill to sustain a two-point lead at 22-20. The set ended on a Dreisbach kill as Parkland (19-0) was able to hold on in the end.

“We made a lot of mistakes in the first set,” Dreisbach said. “We beat them (twice) in the season. We know it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row. That’s just how it is. We had to push through.”

Emmaus (17-3 overall) took its only lead of the evening at 3-2 on an ace from Hulbert in the second set.

Parkland hit its stride, though, and went on a 13-2 run, capped by a block from sophomore Allison Reimer, to grab a 15-5 advantage, and never look back. In the third set, a couple of unforced errors by Emmaus allowed Parkland to go on a run and claim a 13-point win to finish off the match.

“I think we’ve gotten better and it’s just from practice,” said Dreisbach, who was tied for the team high with nine kills. “The coaches help us and the people who don’t get a lot of (playing) time help us.”

Maggie Smith finished with 28 assists. Reimer tallied nine kills and Madi Siggins had five kills.

Parkland is now competing for its eight consecutive district championship as the District 11 playoffs open on Tuesday. The top-seeded Trojans take on the eighth seed, Pleasant Valley in the quarterfinals.

“It’s been incredible,” said Dreisbach. “Coach Krause does an incredible job making everyone grow as players and people every year. It’s great to see that he can keep doing it.”