During that 47-match streak, the Panthers haven’t even lost a set.

On Thursday evening, Kelly Unverdorben’s team picked up another 3-0 sweep against Falconer, but the Golden Falcons left reason for optimism that they could be the team to end Portville’s streak later this season.

The Panthers beat Falconer 25-15, 25-17, 25-21 in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 play, but the Golden Falcons were within a point as late as 20-19 in the final game.

“I liked how we were playing. I told the girls before that set just to relax a little bit, let loose and go back to the basics. Just play volleyball,” Falconer head coach Marah Micek said of the third set. “When we play Portville, I feel like we get so tense. We just have to go back to the basics and play our game.”

Falconer’s Augustine Krenzer (4) attempts to block a spike attempt by Portville’s Ali Haynes during Thursday’s CCAA Division 1 volleyball match in Falconer. Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey

Ali Haynes, a dominant 6-foot junior, led the Panthers with 14 kills, while junior Mia Rhinehart served up seven aces, and junior setter Adelyn Walker had 28 assists.

Portville, a nine-time state champion that includes the last three Class C titles, led 4-3 in the first set Thursday before a kill from Haynes returned service to the Panthers. That’s when Rhinehart did her best work of the night, serving for 10 straight points that included four aces and quickly put Falconer behind 15-3.

“She does have a nice serve that drops. I think, mentally, we just weren’t in it there,” Micek said. “That’s one thing I knew playing Portville, every year our serve-receive struggles against them. If we want to compete with them, we have to pass the ball well.”

The Golden Falcons never got closer than seven the rest of the set as Haynes put down three more kills and sophomore Laney Vincent put the game away with the final point from the service line.

In the second set, a 6-4 Portville lead ballooned to 14-6 thanks in part to five Falconer miscues, including one of its 11 service errors on the night.

“Volleyball is such a mental sport. … It’s a tough spot when you are serving because everyone is looking at you,” Micek said. “It’s something we’ll get better at, pressure serving. I tell the girls to get the first one in, then hit it a little harder, then hit the next one harder.”

The Golden Falcons eventually got to back within three at 15-12, but as Haynes returned to the front row she picked up a kill and a block to make it 18-12. Falconer got its deficit back down to five at 21-16 with a Nazariah Neal ace, but scored just once the rest of the way.

“You have to take advantage when she is in the back row,” Micek said of Haynes. “That was one thing I was disappointed with tonight, I feel like when she was in the back row, we didn’t take advantage and score a lot of points.”

The third set was by far the Golden Falcons’ most competitive. The Panthers’ largest lead early was three at 5-2 thanks to a mishit kill from freshman Leigha Stives. Falconer eventually took an 8-7 lead and had its first two-point lead of the match at 12-10 when Portville hit a spike long.

But the Panthers scored the next four points to lead 14-12 as senior Adriana Ensell strung together three service points in a row. Four times in the middle part of the set, the Golden Falcons cut the deficit to just one point, but could never back it back to tied. Eventually, Ensell gave Portville a 23-19 lead from the service line and Haynes put away the final two points of the match with kills.

“To compete with Portville, defending state champs, you almost have to play perfect. It’s the little things that matter, the things that you can control,” Micek said. “They are going to get kills and score points, but we have to score points and come back too.”

While Falconer fell to 6-1 on the season, including 3-1 in the league, the Golden Falcons no doubt will be looking forward to the second meeting between the teams Oct. 15 in Portville.

“We had three losses last year, they were all to Portville,” Micek said. “The goal is to compete with them and I do think if we play our game and don’t make those silly, mental errors, I do think we can play with them. It will take our best game to hang with them.”

NOTES: Ensel had seven kills, four aces and 16 digs; freshman Gaitley Maiolo and Vincent each had four kills; and Rhinehart had 16 digs for Portville, which improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the league. … Junior Hannah Melquist had 18 assists, five kills and 11 digs; senior Augustine Krenzer had six kills and 12 digs; juniors Mylie and Emily Zaranek had six kills apiece; and junior Nylah Sharpe had eight digs for Falconer.