The title enabled Farrell (17- 1), which finished 3-0 in the round-robin format event, to advance to the state tournament for the 17th consecutive year under veteran coach Harriett Morrison.

Farrell, the WPIAL runner- up, defeated District 9 champion Kane (15-7, 15-3), District 10 champion Conneaut Lake (16- 14, 15-7) and the WPIAL No. 3 team Elderton (15-11, 15-8).

``We had things going a little better than last week, but we still made some mistakes,'' said Morrison. ``So we have until Friday to work on those. We're in the Final 8 now and none of the matches should be easy.''

Farrell opens play at the state tournament at 9 a.m. Friday at Shippensburg University against the No. 2 team out of the Northeast Region.

Conneaut Lake, which finished 2-1, also advanced to the state tournament. Kane (1-2) and Elderton (0-3) were eliminated.

Under Morrison, one of the most successful coaches in the state, Farrell has won 5 state championships and finished second twice. And she expected nothing less than a berth in the state tournament of her team this season.

``With having juniors and seniors mostly on the team and playing only one or two underclassmen, we kind of expected a good season, providing nothing happened,'' Morrison said. ``We had a couple of injuries and Kisha Pegues is nursing a leg injury right now.

``Anything that can deter you like that can be costly to you when you've had a group that's worked together for so many years. That can make a difference.''

Making a difference Saturday were Nicole Scott, Lucretia Samuels and Sharanda Stinson. Scott registered 34 kills, 22 digs and 13 blocks, Samuels finished with 26 points, 22 kills, 30 digs and 3 blocks, and Stinson had 15 points, 23 kills, 41 assists, 19 digs and 9 blocks.

Also contributing for Farrell were: Dorothy Smith 17 points, 4 kills, 45 assists, 11 digs, 6 blocks; Pegues 3 points, 7 kills, 15 digs, 8 blocks; Keturah Chambers 1 points, 3 kills, 11 digs, 3 blocks; Gina Falvo 11 points, 19 digs; and Jennifer Saum 3 points.

Advancing out of the Southwest Region Saturday were WPIAL champion Shannock Valley and D-10 runnerup Maplewood. Not making it, however, was defending state champion Richland, but that won't make things any easier at Shippensburg, according to Morrison.

``More than one person has said Shannock Valley is by far probably the best team in the state, AA or AAA,'' she said. ``We just hope that we can play well enough that we have another opportunity to play them.''