For the majority of the Pleasant Valley girls’ volleyball team, the quarterfinals of the District 11 Class 4A playoffs served as a first-time experience in the postseason.

The Bears’ reward for qualifying for the postseason wasn’t exactly enviable as they were matched up with top seeded Parkland - the No. 1 team Class 4A program in the state.

Parkland flexed its muscles on Tuesday against the eighth-seeded Bears and rolled to a 25-9, 25-10, 25-17 victory.

“There’s really not much to say,” said Pleasant Valley coach Gesiskie. “For most of our girls, it was their first experience at districts. Parkland has a great program, so hopefully It was a good learning experience for us. I’m hoping it’s something we grow from heading into next season.”

If the Bears post-match reaction to the loss is any indication, they will do just that.

“After the match ended, they were all coming over to our huddle saying things like, ‘I got to make sure I do this next year ... I have to work on this on the offseason,’” Gesiskie said. “So in their mind they are already preparing for next year’s season. That had me excited.

“A lot of the times kids get to the end, and they’re, ‘OK, glad that’s over. See ya coach. See ya when we see ya.’ But not these kids. They are eager to start again. They’ve seen how far they have come, and they want to keep improving.”

Parkland (20-0) - the five-time defending District 11 champion - will advance to meet Liberty in Thursday’s semifinal round. Meanwhile, Pleasant Valley (8-9) and Gesiskie are already looking ahead to next season.

“There haven’t been any seniors in the program for two years,” the veteran coach said. “So the juniors were sophomores who were learning how to be leaders with no leaders to look up to,” Gesiskie said. “That’s difficult. So it was a good growing season for the program.

“I believe we now have a bunch of players who understand the leadership qualities that are needed which is a great start for next season.”

NET ATTACK … Brynn Dreisbach and Elena Pursell create a true 1-2 punch on the front line for the Trojans. Dreisbach led the way with 16 kills, while Pursell finished with 10 kills.

TOP BEARS … Juniors Nora Jones and Jackie James led the way for the Bears, as Jones finished with four service points, four digs and three kills, while James added four digs and three kills. Sophomores Lexi Womack (seven digs, two kills) and Hannah Akob (six service points, five digs, two blocks) also played well.

KIND WORDS … “John always gets his kids to play hard,” Parkland coach Mike Krauss said. “Their defense is very good. They keep the ball in play and try to force you to make plays. They always play hard, and can move the ball around pretty well.”

NO UPSETS … In addition to Parkland, Freedom (No. 2 seed), Emmaus (No. 3 seed) and Liberty (No. 4 seed) also advanced last night.