WEXFORD — You don't have to be behind to have a sense of urgency.

Such was the case with the Seneca Valley boys volleyball team Thursday night.

The Raiders led Penn-Trafford two games to one in a WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal at North Allegheny High School.

But the Warriors proved feisty, cutting SV's 18-12 lead in the fourth game to just 22-21.

Kills from Zach Herrmann and Chad Albert put an end to the Warriors' next two possessions and helped give the Raiders a 24-23 lead.

Brian Pudlo's kill then capped SV's 3-1 win.

“We definitely wanted to close it out in game four,” said Raiders' coach Dan Mountain. “We didn't want a fifth game. Fifteen-point games are wild and anything can happen.”

“We did have a sense of urgency in that fourth game,” said Pudlo, “but we knew if we played up to our capabilities, they couldn't beat us.”

The Raiders' win came by scores of 25-14, 21-25, 25-14 and 25-23.

SV will face the Norwin/Fox Chapel winner in the semifinals Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Pudlo dropped 19 kills on the Warriors in the four games.

“He's been a good addition to the team,” said Mountain. “We have a lot of hitters, but he worked his way into the lineup this year. He's very athletic.”

Penn-Trafford coach Jim Schall didn't see his team's best effort.

“We played two good games tonight,” he said. “We had a shot in that fourth game, but Seneca Valley's pretty good. They've got a lot of strong hitters.”

The Raiders dominated early, opening up a 16-8 lead in the first game on their way to an 11-point win.

Penn-Trafford (12-5) answered in the next game, taking a lead midway through and receiving clutch kills from Joe Bortak and Sam Kavel to tie the match.

But Seneca Valley (16-2) returned to its dominance in the third game, winning again by a 25-14 count to take a 2-1 edge in games.

Thanks in part to kills from Pudlo, Albert and Ben Hart early in the third game, the Warriors scored just one point in their first seven possessions and the Raiders built a 20-9 lead.

“We just needed to cut out the errors on our side,” said Mountain. “If we're making them (the opponent) play the ball, we can be tough to beat. That's what we were able to do in the first and third game.”

Herrmann added 14 kills and three aces for SV, while Albert managed 10 blocks.

Cameron Knight totaled 50 assists and Doug Coyne 10 perfect passes and seven digs.

Bortak led Penn-Trafford with 12 kills.