Parkland has been a thorn in Liberty volleyball’s side in recent memory. The Trojans knocked off Liberty in last year’s league and district championship. They beat them in this year’s regular season and now both teams see each other again in the EPC semifinals on Tuesday, past Press deadlines, at Northampton.

It’s part of the challenge for Liberty and head coach Connor Swigart to get over the hump against the most revered team in the area.

“It is always a tough ask playing Parkland, but the girls are excited for another opportunity to play them,” said Swigart. “We are at full strength this time with Gianna Sciarra back playing. Along with Bella Martens and Bailey our passing should be at its best. As with any Parkland team we need to play consistently in every aspect. They are so great at making adjustments so we have to be able to make adjustments of our own.”

Liberty (15-2), the fourth seed in the tournament, swept Pocono Mountain West in their league tournament opener. Parkland also swept Nazareth in Saturday’s opening round of games, pairing two of the best programs in recent years in a classic semifinal showdown.

The Trojans (16-0) swept Liberty in their only encounter this season and Swigart knows he’ll need the best performance out of his team if they want any chance at the upset.

“Last time we played them we learned that if we can serve aggressively and hit our spots we will put ourselves in a much better position to succeed,” he said. “I think with any team if we can get all of our hitters involved early it opens up a lot more opportunities for us to get “lay up” kills and make it easier on us with single blocks. I am excited to see how the girls respond to the challenge. We take any chance to play a good opponent as a measuring stick and help us get ready for districts.”

The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will advance to Thursday’s 7:05 p.m. championship at Whitehall.

Tuesday’s other semifinal pits an undefeated Pleasant Valley (18-0) against Central Catholic (14-2).