No matter what their records were a year ago, the goal for this year’s Pleasant Valley teams is to post a winning mark and qualify for the playoffs.

The Bears’ volleyball squad looks solid again and should make the postseason. The soccer teams hope to improve and advance past the regular schedule, while field hockey is looking for a quick start to propel them to a successful year.

The number are up for the girls cross country program, however the boys have dipped.

VOLLEYBALL

Head coach: Drew Dymond

League: EPC Monroe (11-5, 9-1)

Key losses: Riley Ruggerio, Emma Weber, Molly Bergstresser

Key returnees: Isabella Slizewsky (Jr., middle hitter), Mya Williams (Sr., libero), Kira Hnat (Sr., setter), Emerson Deluna (Sr., defensive specialist), Sasha Slozina (Sr., outside hitter), Lila Borger (Sr., outside hitter), Jessica Tartamella (Jr., defensive specialist), Ella Rothrock (Sr., defensive specialist)

Top newcomers: Harley Durant (Jr., middle hitter), Hunter Farkas (Jr., right side hitter), Victoria Cappelletti (Jr., outside hitter/defensive specialist), Macy Fette (Jr., setter)

Outlook: The Bears return a ton of experience, with all of their returnees contributing in some way on the varsity court last season. A group led by six seniors should help PV have another successful season after going 9-1 in EPC Monroe play a year ago. Serving is also expected to be a strength for the Bears.

Quotable: “The goal is always to go as far as we can. We always want make a push for playoffs, and then try and make a deep run. We have a lot of experience returning. Replacing Ruggerio won’t be easy, but we have a deep team that I think can compete. We’re excited to see who is going to step up for us.” — Head coach Drew Dymond.

CROSS COUNTRY

Head coach: Ali Rundle

League: EPC

Key losses: Girls - Keeley Lawrence; Boys - None

Key returnees: Girls - Rebekah McLeod (Sr.), Sara Brubaker (Jr.), Anna Salvucci (Sr.); Boys - Anthony Blas (So.)

Top newcomers: Girls - Lucie Nikoden (Fr.), Maci Ropchok (Jr.), Beatrice Salvucci (Fr.), Gianna Shaefer (So.); Boys - Lucas Franco (Jr.), Kevin Derylo (Sr.)

Outlook: The PV girls are deep and have a lot of runners on the roster this season, which could be a sign of good things to come for the program. McLeod, Brubaker and newcomer Nikoden are all expected to make noise in competition this season. For the boys, the Bears only have three runners on the team, so the goal will be for their runners to compete as hard as they can as the season progresses.

Quotable: “We have a lot of female runners which is fantastic, as this is usually not the case for Pleasant Valley. There are a lot of new faces, along with returning ones, and these girls compete with a ton of drive. Unfortunately, with only three boys, they will not be able to score as a team. However, newcomer Franco is a solid, strong runner and we are anxious to see his growth in his first season as a distance runner. Derylo is beginning his running career as a senior, but shows a lot of strength and determination. Our expectation is that every day they show up and leave it all out there. We never want them to finish a race questioning if they could have run harder” — Head coach Ali Rundle.

GIRLS SOCCER

Head coach: Tara Hyland

League: EPC

Key losses: Ella Collins, Josie Fetterman, Peyton Foder, Rylee Rath, Sadie Rizzo.

Key returnees: Marta Perry (Sr., forward), Bailey Clifford (Jr., center back/defender), Jordan Fleming (Jr., defensive midfielder), Keegan Merklin (Jr., midfielder), Payton Shillady (Jr., center back/defender), Haley Ott (So., goalkeeper).

Top newcomers: Amelia Guiterrez (Fr.), Ella Serfas (Fr.), Victoria Lucarello (Fr.).

Outlook: The Bears finished 8-10 last season, and return a solid core of starters. Perry is expected to have another strong season after scoring 22 goals and dishing out 10 assists a season ago. Pleasant Valley also has a good crop of freshman players coming in that are expected to make an impact as well. PV has looked good in preseason camp.

Quotable: “We have a strong core of starters returning this season with tons of experience along with a strong freshmen crew coming up. We are looking to build on last season’s strong play, and we’re looking to win the close matches that eluded us over the past two seasons. Staying healthy, and game load management will be key to our season. The girls had a strong preseason, and we’re all looking forward to getting out on the field for the start of the season.” — Head coach Tara Hyland.

BOYS SOCCER

Head coach: Jon Mickens

League: EPC

Key losses: Steven Walters, David Chamera, James Morton, Adam Sopanski, Royce Thompson.

Key returnees: Cole Clark (Sr., goalkeeper), Gavin Lewis (Sr., defense), Matthew Slobodzian (Sr., defense), Michael Powell (Jr., defense), Christian Pinheiro (Sr., midfield), Lennox Granda (Sr., midfield), Adrian Szyszko (Sr., midfield), Richon Russ (Sr., attacker), Aiden Granda (Sr., attacker).

Top newcomers: Ivan Georgiev (Jr., center back), Jasper Porter (Jr., attacker), Asher Nikoden (Jr., attacker), Julian Marx (Jr., attacker), Nate Thompson (So., defense/midfield), Dominik Chamera (So., attacker).

Outlook: PV returns an experienced core of 11 seniors and 10 juniors. Mickens steps in as head coach this season after serving as an assistant for the past two seasons. Mickens is a 2018 Pleasant Valley boys soccer alumnus, and 2022 Susquehanna University boys soccer alumnus. The goal for Mickens and the Bears is to have sustained regular season success and consistent postseason berths.

Quotable: “The Pleasant Valley boys soccer program enters 2026-27 motivated to respond to a previous season that fell short of its preseason goals. With several key departures, the program also embraces an underdog mentality entering a season in which outside expectations may be lower than in recent years. The team’s ceiling will be determined by its ability to combine its technical and tactical quality with the discipline, organization, accountability and mental toughness required to navigate a challenging regular season. If the senior-led group and emerging juniors can consistently meet those standards, we have a realistic opportunity to compete in the regular season and qualify for the postseason.” — Head coach Jon Mickens.

FIELD HOCKEY

Head coach: Corin Owermohle

League: EPC

Key losses: None.

Key returnees: Emma DePalma (Sr., midfield), Evelyn VanDerheyden (Sr., defense), Meadow Hale (Sr., defense), Emi Stipeck (Sr., goalkeeper), Gabby Kutzler (Sr., forward)

Top newcomers: None.

Outlook: PV expects to be good in goal with First Team EPC selection Stipeck returning. The Bears finished 5-12-1 a season ago, and are going to be looking to be more aggressive on the offensive end, led by last season’s EPC third team selection in DePalma, while they rely on their experienced defense to be a strength.

Quotable: “We will be looking to get out to a fast start. Our pattern of the last few years has been that it’s taken us some time to find our footing and we get better as the season goes. We hope to start out strong. Defensively, we return a lot of skill, and we should be good there also because of our experience. We will be looking to capitalize more on our attacks this season, and create more scoring opportunities.” — Head coach Corin Owermohle.