Both Nazareth and Pleasant Valley gave it their all Thursday evening in a District 11 volleyball quarterfinal.

The match went to five sets, and Nazareth clung to a one-point lead when the Blue Eagles went up 13-12 in the final set. Nazareth sealed the deal, and won 15-13 in the fifth set to defeat the Bears and move on in the playoffs.

“The girls work very hard,” Pleasant Valley head coach John Gesiskie said. “We did a lot of practicing. We saw some of Nazareth with what they played and tried to execute that plan, but sometimes we lost sight of what we were supposed to do.

“It comes back with points scored on you because we don’t do certain things. That’s the game of volleyball. They made mistakes just as much as we did. We made more mistakes than they did. The outcome is the outcome; 15-13 isn’t a bad way to end it.”

Nazareth took the first set 25-17, and Pleasant Valley answered back in the second set 25-17. The Blue Eagles took a 2-1 lead after winning the third set 25-22, but PV didn’t go away easily by taking the fourth set 25-23.

Both teams led at certain points in the final set, but Nazareth was able to prevail in the end.

“We had to be resilient in so many different ways all year long, and today was a reflection of that,” Nazareth head coach John Pursel said. “Volleyball is a microcosm of life, and these girls do not quit and are resilient, and I think that was a huge part in everything that happened today, and all of our success this year.”

Pleasant Valley senior Lexi Womack had 13 kills and 20 assists. Sophomore Rylee Ruggiero had five blocks and six digs and helped the Bears during pivotal moments against Nazareth.

Nazareth came into the match sporting a 12-6 regular season record after a tough schedule facing mostly Lehigh Valley opponents.

Pleasant Valley finished the season 19-2, with an undefeated regular season at 18-0. The Bears had hard-fought matches in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 playoffs, where they were the No. 4 seed.

“We hit a lot of firsts this year,” Gesiskie said. “We had the first time we were undefeated going into the playoffs since we joined the EPC. We had the first time we made it to the EPC semifinals. It was the first time we beat Emmaus. We had a lot of firsts here, so it’s kind of nice to know that even though we didn’t win at the end, we set a lot of goals. You win in different ways.”

The 2023 season for the Bears was a good one in Gesiskie’s final year as head coach. It was a very emotional and competitive game against the Blue Eagles as the teams went back-and-forth.

Nazareth, the No. 5 seed, moves on in the District 11 semifinal to face top seed Parkland (20-0) Tuesday at Catasauqua. Southern Lehigh and Liberty will meet in the other semifinal.

“We’re excited,” Pursel said. “We have an opportunity in front of us. We have pressure, and that’s a privilege. Not everybody gets that, and we’re going to love the opportunity and live and thrive in the pressure.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR PV... Gesiskie talked about the future of the program, and what is in store for the Bears. “Hopefully, they get someone that wants to put in as much time in as I did,” he said. “The players and athletes deserve a coach that’s going to put the time and effort into it. If you want to be successful and you want to see your players become successful, you have to put the time and effort into it. It was a little bit better than we thought we were. We came along a lot faster than we thought we would. In the end, we kind of ran out of gas and it what it is.”

TOUGH MATCH... Both teams were highly competitive in the District 11 quarterfinal, and Pursel gave credit to both Pleasant Valley and Gesiskie after an intense match. “It was a really tough match against a very well-coached opponent,” Pursel said. “First thing I have to say is congratulations to John (Gesiskie) and Pleasant Valley. Pleasant Valley had a great year. As a coach, I’ve been doing it 10 years, so I’m not necessarily new. Thirty years coaching, he deserves a lot of appreciation for all he’s done for volleyball in our area.”