Parkland High School boys volleyball head coach Scott Trumbauer mentioned that at this point in the season, he knows his team will be fighting fires, but he doesn’t want to see them turn into blazes.

With his team trailing 24-21 in the opening set and just one point away from being in a 0-1 hole to start, the Trojans responded and scored seven of the last nine points to take the opening set and then the match as they took down District 3b champ Cumberland Valley 3-1 by scores of 28-26, 25-14, 23-25, 25-16 this past Tuesday night in the PIAA 3A State semifinal round at Manheim Township High School.

The victory kept Parkland’s perfect record intact, improving to 22-0 on the year.

“The greatest thing about this win and just this season as a whole is seeing them so excited to play and that they’re winning,” said Trumbauer. “They’re making history and they’re making their own mark. We want them to celebrate this one and then get right back to work for one more match to win it all.”

The Trojans and Eagles were in a back-and-forth battle in the first set as neither team led by more than three points throughout. A Parkland service error gave Cumberland Valley a 24-21 advantage and needed just one point to win, but they returned the favor with a service error of their own.

Joshua Nation made sure to keep his next serves in play, and that allowed Chase Robbins, Luke Smith and himself to help fuel the comeback victory.

“The guys did a great job fighting back in the first set when we had our backs against the wall several times,” Trumbauer said. “We had two big blocks at the net to tie it. The guys really stepped up and found another gear, especially defensively.”

The Trojans used that momentum and took it into the second set where they jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back. The Eagles won a close third set before Parkland ran out to an 8-1 lead in the fourth and went to finish the job.

Parkland will play for its first PIAA championship since 2015 when it faces District 7 champion, Shaler, this Saturday at 1:30 p.m., at Penn State University’s Recreation Hall.

“I told the seniors they get to end their careers in Rec Hall where Olympians have played,” said Trumbauer. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”