It’s what Parkland girls volleyball head coach Mike Krause wanted. His young team to be challenged. And they were.

Whitehall improved in every set, making each one closer than the one before, and made the Trojans work for every point, especially in the third set.

Parkland, however, was able to record a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-7, 25-12 and 25-21 last Monday night in Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Skyline Division action at Whitehall High School.

“They have one of the best players in the league in Aly Peters,” said Krause. “She hits the ball hard and she hits it well. So we were excited to see how we would do going up against her. Adriana [Goetz-Morales] went against her and had some great blocks. We played really solid in that first set, probably about 95-97 percent efficient. But then we had a couple of hiccups because they moved the ball around really well and kept it in play.”

During the match, senior setter Brooke Kratzer tallied her 1,000th career assist.

Parkland (6-1 overall, 6-1 EPC) made quick work of the Zephyrs (3-6, 1-6) in the first set, showing its athleticism and hitting power.

But Whitehall made it closer starting in the second set, trailing at one time by just four points, 15-11. The Trojans, however, went on a run, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to take the set.

“They did a good job getting us out of our first contact,” said Krause. “We weren’t passing well or defending well. I think a lot of that had to do with concentration and we need to have more patience out there.”

In the third set, it was back-and-forth for the majority. Whitehall led for the first half of the set until Parkland took a 13-12 lead it would not relinquish. Leading 24-21, senior Grace Steurer pounded home the winning kill.

“She’s the heart and soul of the team,” Krause said. “She does a lot for us. Brynn [Dreisbach] is getting stronger with her swing, and Adriana, Thwisha [Anantasagar] and Megan [Heyer] are complimenting each other in the middle. Amber [Resendez] is a lefty on the outside that continues to get better and better. If Brooke can continue to distribute the ball like she has been, we can score a lot of points.”

Steurer finished with 12 kills and 16 digs. Dreisbach had nine kills and four blocks, and Goetz-Morales recorded seven kills and six blocks. Kratzer contributed 25 assists.

Parkland hosts East Stroudsburg North Thursday followed by a road showdown with Bethlehem Catholic on Monday.