WHITEHALL — The environment was hostile. The task was daunting.

The Seneca Valley girls volleyball team wasn't fazed.

The Raiders made relatively quick work of Baldwin on the Highlanders' home floor, sweeping the two-time defending WPIAL champions 27-25, 25-22, 25-21 in the Quad-A championship match Saturday night at Baldwin High School.

“It means more to me to watch them win it,” said Seneca Valley coach Karen Martini, who now has two WPIAL crowns as the Raiders coach. “They've worked so hard and this is what they've strived for.”

It's the first WPIAL title for the Seneca Valley girls volleyball program since 2011.

“It was the exact date — Nov. 5,” Martini said. “It's a great date for us.”

It was a great night all around for Seneca Valley, which used a balanced attack at the net, solid defense led by senior libero Bella Seman and sharp serving to dispatch the Highlanders.

Maria Alfano had 15 kills, Emily Devlin had 14 kills and Tatum Poirier added nine kills, including the final one that brought home the championship.

“They all came to play,” Martini said. “The biggest part was our passing and our defense. We put it into (Madi) McDonough's hands and she was able to give it to every single one of those hitters. You can't do anything better than that. Devlin was hot. Tatum Poirer was hot. Maria was hot. When you look at it, our stats were probably pretty even. That's what we do best.”

Seneca Valley was also able to block out the noise.

Baldwin fans filled up the entire bleachers on the one end of the gym and were loud the entire night.

“We knew they were going to have a huge fan base here,” Seman said. “We had to stay in our bubble, mentally prepared for anything. We needed to shut their fan base down. We worked as a team and stayed as a team and I couldn't be prouder.

“We've been working since the end of May for this,” Seman added. “We came in today and we knew what we had to do. We were confident in ourselves and we stuck to our game plan. It means the world to us.”

It also meant the world to Seman. She now joins her older sisters — Catie and Angela — with WPIAL gold medals.

“Five years ago, my sisters — Angela being a sophomore and Catie being a senior — got it,” Seman said. “That was my goal. Some people compare me to my sisters, but I don't like to. I wanted to get to that level. I wanted people to not see me as their little sister. Without my team, I couldn't have achieved that.”

Another key was the Raiders' ability to compartmentalize the match.

Devlin said the focus is always on one point at a time.

“You just have to make sure your mindset is in the right place,” Devlin said. “The next point is a new point. We always go by five points. First to five, first to 10, just to take the game slower.”

Seneca Valley will open the PIAA Quad-A playoffs Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against Exeter Township, the third-place District 3 team, at Hempfield High School.

The Raiders won't have much time to celebrate their WPIAL title.

“We don't have a long break, so we have to mentally prepare in a hurry for this,” Alfano said. “We're excited, though. We can't wait to see what else we can do this season.”

On Saturday, though, it was all about that WPIAL crown.

“It's an amazing feeling,” Devlin said. “I don't have words to describe it. It doesn't even feel real. Everyone contributed and this is amazing.”