The Pleasant Valley girls’ volleyball team won its District 11 Class 4A opening round match on Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Bears, the joy from that victory was short lived.

That’s because the Bears had just a short time to regroup and face powerful Nazareth in a quarterfinal round game. The Blue Eagles ended PV’s season with a 3-0 sweep.

The No. 6-seeded Bears opened their night at Nazareth High School with a 15-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-17 victory over 11th-seeded Stroudsburg.

Less than an hour later, they dropped a 25-16, 25-11, 25-21 decision to Eastern Pennsylvania Conference champion Nazareth.

“It was different,” said veteran Pleasant Valley coach John Gesiskie about the two-matches-in-one- night setup. “I know other teams have had to do it during district play in previous years, but this was the first time we had to do it.

“You get all pumped up for one team and you go all out on it. And then, in less than an hour, you’re back on the court going after another team.”

Pleasant Vy.-Stroudsburg

Early on against Stroudsburg, it looked like the Bears wouldn’t have a chance to play a second match.

The Mounties had complete control of the first game and ended up winning 25-15. However, the Bears dug deep and were able to regroup, rolling to three straight wins.

“All season long, we get to the venue about an hour ahead of time,” Gesiskie said. “So, the girls have time to relax. They get a chance to get out there and start peppering and warming their bodies up. But when you come to districts, suddenly, you’re not allowed to touch the ball until about 25 minutes before the start of a match.

“So we kind of came in cold. It showed, as we weren’t really moving it in the first game. Then, it was like the adrenaline gets pumping. And, the girls started picking it up and started playing the type of game they’re used to playing.”

Pleasant Vy.-Nazareth

Facing No. 3-seeded Nazareth, the Bears were unable to pull off the upset.

Gesiskie saw fight, but not enough firepower to get the job done.

“The last set we were neck-and-neck with them,” Gesiskie said. “We lost it 25-21. You could see Nazareth was starting to sweat it there – but they ended up pulling away at the end.

“We just don’t have all the firepower that some teams do, but if we can keep the ball from hitting the floor, that’s a big deal.”

After another strong season that included the Mountain Division championship of the EPC, Gesiskie is already looking ahead.

Gesiskie has to watch a group of seniors end their careers. However, he got to watch some youth get some experience in and gain the knowledge of what it takes to make a run in the postseason.

“We got some younger girls in today to get a taste of it,” he said. “Just to see what it’s like. We had some freshmen in there.

“It’s looking up. Hopefully, the girls can put a lot of time in the offseason.”

NUMBERS … Senior Desi Powell led the Bears’ attack with 21 kills, nine digs, and two aces against Stroudsburg.

Juniors Cameron Caffrey (15 assists, 12 digs, four kills against Stroudsburg; 12 assists, four digs against Nazareth) and Ari Thourot (14 assists, five digs, two aces against Stroudsburg; five aces, four assists, three kills against Nazareth) also had big nights.