Seneca Valley High School girls' volleyball assistant coach Mallory DeMarco did not attend the Raiders match in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament on Nov. 10.

"I sent Mallory to Norristown High School to scout Bishop Shanahan," said Raiders head coach Karen Martini, referring to the District 1 champions, who were ranked No. 2 in the state behind WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon.

"I was confident that we would beat [District 6 champion] Altoona and that we would most likely face Bishop Shanahan in our first match [in the quarterfinal round robin]. I wanted to know what we were up against, so I sent Mallory to scout."

Martini's educated guess was correct. Both Seneca Valley and Bishop Shanahan from Downingtown, Chester County, posted first-round victories, and were paired in the first round of the quarterfinal round robin, which took place last weekend at Central York High School.

"I knew the winner of that match would have a better chance of advancing to the semifinals," Martini said. "Bishop Shanahan has some of the best players in the state and we scouted them well. We had a game plan figured out, but it didn't work out as we had hoped.

"Ball-handling was the difference. We just didn't pass the ball well. Serve-receive has been a problem for us all season."

Martini's assessment of the importance of its match with Bishop Shanahan was right on the mark. The three-set loss to the Eagles kept Seneca Valley from advancing to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Bishop Shanahan went on to win its first PIAA title.

"We lost the first game, 25-17, then came back with a great effort in a 25-15 win in game two," Martini said. "I told the girls that the winner of the third game would eventually make it to the semifinals."

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Martini was correct. The Raiders dropped a 25-17 decision in game three.

That meant Seneca Valley would have to win its other two round-robin matches to move on to the semifinals. The Raiders faced District 3 champion Landisville Hempfield in its next match and jumped out to a quick lead with a 25-21 victory in game one. But poor passing plagued the Raiders again and Hempfield rallied to win the next two games, 25-21, 25-20.

"It's disappointing to come this far and fall short, but I'm still very proud of what the girls have achieved this season," Martini said.

Seneca Valley did end its season on a winning note, as the Raiders defeated Hatboro Horsham, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, in their final match of the round robin.

"We have four starters who will graduate, but we're still a young team," Martini said. "We have a nice group of girls coming back."

Seneca Valley's departing seniors are Kelly Treser, Megan Condit, Sarah Metarko and Hallie Ganch.

Mars Area High School was another north area school that qualified for the PIAA Class AA tournament.

The Planets tied for third place in the WPIAL and posted a 3-1 victory against District 10 champion Wilmington in the first round. Wilmington opened the match with a 25-22 win, but Mars responded with three consecutive victories, 25-23, 25-20, 25-12, to earn a berth in the quarterfinal round robin.

"This is the first time a Mars team qualified for the PIAA tournament," Mars coach Dan Mountain said. "We're very proud of that."

Unfortunately for the Planets, Mars did not fare as well in the quarterfinal round robin. The Planets were defeated in all three matches, failing to record a victory in any set. The Planets opened against WPIAL runner-up Freeport and lost, 25-17, 25-13, 25-23.

"The girls were looking forward to the rematch," said Mountain, referring to the Planets 3-1 loss to Freeport in the WPIAL semifinals. "I think they were a little too excited. It made them play a little bit nervously."

Mars faced District 3 champion Brandywine Heights, the eventual PIAA runner-up, in its second match and lost, 25-17, 25-16, 25-22. The Planets closed the season with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-9 loss to District 2 champion Holy Redeemer of Wilkes-Barre.

"We played our best games of the day against Holy Redeemer," Mountain said. "We're a little disappointed with the weekend as a whole, but it was a great experience for the girls. We were competitive with all three teams, but didn't play well enough to move on."

Mars will have five starters -- Camille Plesniak, Camblin Leonard, Taylor Boice, Madie Hudac and Anne Beitler -- graduate.

Leonard was named to the first team of the WPIAL All-Star Team. Plesniak and Hudac were second-team selections. Leonard was also named to the PIAA All-Tournament team.

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