POTTSVILLE - Jim Thorpe's youthful girls' volleyball team got a taste of what could come in the future during Thursday's heartbreaking five-set loss to Minersville.

The Olympians carved out a 12-8 record this season, drew the No. 3 seed in the District 11 Class 2A tournament, and looked determined enough to upset No. 2 seed Minersville at fabled Martz Hall.But Jim Thorpe fell short of reaching the district title game as the Miners pulled out a 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 21-25, 16-14 victory.Through four sets of intense play, Thorpe had the Miners reeling and trying.But just when Dame Fortune seemed settled in on the Thorpe bench, she took an about face in the tiebreaking set. She left the Olympians forlorn, as Minersville pulled out a heart-stopping victory, ending Thorpe's season."We learned a lot this year," said Jim Thorpe coach Vicky Nicholas. "We're going to come back even stronger next season."It was the first time in 12 years Jim Thorpe made it to the playoffs, according to Nicholas."We pushed hard for the win. It was a fight that we were ready for," Nicholas said. "They beat us in our regular season match, but we didn't let that affect us."After falling in set one, 25-17, Jim Thorpe staged an incredible late-game rally to pull out a dramatic win in the second set to even the match.Jim Thorpe built a 12-5 lead in the second set, but the Miners rallied to forge ties at 17, 18 and 19. The Miners then picked up a head of steam and were on the brink of victory, holding a 24-19 lead.But the Olympians never blinked and battled back to score seven consecutive points for a 26-24 win. A service ace by Kelsey Carroll closed it out.Thorpe couldn't hold on to the wave of momentum it built and dropped the third set 25-20.The Olympians were unfazed, however, and came roaring back to claim a nifty 25-21 fourth set victory. The win was accomplished behind key blocks from Mackenzie Rosenberger, monster kills from Jillian Peterson, and solid contributions from Alyssa Stamets and Joclyn Day.The Olympians seemed poised to post the upset as they built a 14-11 advantage in the decisive 15-point fifth set. But this time it was the Miners who rallied from the edge of defeat, reeling off five straight points to pull out the 16-14 victory.NEAR MISS... It wasn't lack of effort by Jim Thorpe, but more Minersville finding its balance in the fifth set to take the win.PLAYMAKERS... Peterson's kills were relentless as she had 10. Stamets added nine, and Jordan Waselus checked in with six. Carroll had 23 digs.