JACKSON TWP — After a steady diet of tough section action and high-caliber tournament play each season, the Seneca Valley girls volleyball team rarely is challenged in first-round playoff matches.

That trend continued Thursday as the Raiders rolled past Ringgold 25-17, 25-10, 25-6.

With the win, the Raiders advance to the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals, where they will face Baldwin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny.

"This year, we've had to battle back because our section is so tough," said Seneca Valley coach Karen Martini.

"We did not make too many mistakes. We made our fair share but we're learning to eliminate that and not let it get us down," she added.

"I was so nervous," said senior defensive specialist Hallie Ganch. "You want to get out with a win. Now, you can focus on the next round."

The opening game proved to be the toughest for the Raiders (15-3) as they opened a 15-7 lead only to see the Rams (6-6) win nine of the next 13 points to pull to within three at 19-16.

With the score at 20-17, Seneca Valley reeled off the final five points, which included a soft shot and kill by Kelly Treser, to secure the game.

The young Rams trailed 5-3 in the second game before another kill by Treser allowed the Raiders to start pulling away.

"I've never seen Seneca play this year," said Rams coach Mark Risko. "Karen has a fantastic group of kids and a great program. We're looking to revamp the Ringgold program.

"We have a chance to move down to Class AA. Whether or not, we want to be at Seneca Valley's level and be back next year," he added.

With the score at 12-7 in the second set, the Raiders went on to outscore the Rams 38-8 the rest of the way.

"We were really pumped for this game and it showed," Ganch said.

When the Raiders jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the third and final game, Ringgold's two points came when Seneca Valley failed to serve the ball over the net.

"Our top three hitters tonight were Kelly Treser, Cate Seman and Megan Drambel," Martini noted, "and Dori Rohan had five aces in just two games."

The win was the Raiders' eighth in a row after dropping consecutive section matches to North Allegheny and Pine-Richland in September.

After winning the WPIAL championship five years ago, the Raiders have reached the semifinals each year, but they've gone no further.

Opening with a strong playoff win, however, is always a good start.

"That's the most important: to get that first win and boost the morale of the team," said Treser, a senior middle hitter.

"It gives them more confidence to know they can do it," said Martini. "In the past, we've peaked really early, then hit a plateau. This year, we started even and have been climbing the ladder."