The Jim Thorpe girls volleyball team took a healthy approach after drawing top-seeded Bethlehem Catholic in the District 11 Class 4A tournament.

“We knew going into this it was probably going to be our hardest match of the season, and we knew that being the eighth seed,” said Jim Thorpe coach Rachel Oliver. “So we told them to just have fun, make an experience out of it and play together. I’m super proud of them.”

Bethlehem Catholic won Tuesday’s opening set 25-6, but after shaking off some early jitters, the Olympians began to settle in during the second set, which the Golden Hawks took 25-15.

“I think the first game they were a little shell-shocked, a little scared because we haven’t seen volleyball of this caliber all season,” Oliver said. “They were like, ‘Whoa.’ Then, once we got into our groove, it was good.

“I just told them to do the little things well. Volleyball is volleyball, whether we play here or at practice, so just do the small things that we know how to do well, and we’ll get some points on the board.”

Jim Thorpe middle blocker Kimora Seales-Griffith scored the first point of the third set.

Outside hitter Remy Gorski finished with six kills and 10 digs, tallying back-to-back points on a tip and a kill, while Brooklynn Yuhas added two kills to keep the score within a point.

“I think we definitely stepped it up as the match went on,” said opposite hitter Aubrey Stamets, who had two kills and eight digs.

“We didn’t really get into our heads or let the mistakes get to us because we knew we were going to make mistakes throughout the game. They are a really good team, but I think we still played our game pretty well.

“I think they put down really good plays, and they were really quick with how they handled the ball, so it took a lot out of us to react to that.”

As Bethlehem Catholic began to widen the gap, Seales-Griffith and Yuhas combined for a block, while Leah Hartman added an ace. Hartman finished with 11 assists.

Bethlehem Catholic closed out the match with a 25-18 victory in the third set.

The Olympians finished the season 9-10.

“We have a really good fan base and a good student section, and the energy in our gym is amazing,” Oliver said. “At any of our home matches, we had a lot of people there, and they played into that energy. We love our fans.”

Bethlehem Catholic 3, Jim Thorpe 0

Jim Thorpe 6 15 18

Bethlehem Catholic 25 25 25

Records: Jim Thorpe (9-10); Bethlehem Catholic (19-2).