Pleasant Valley head girls volleyball coach Drew Dymond figured his team needed some time to mature, preferably later in the season.

“I knew we had talented players, but it was going to take some time for them to learn how to play together,” reflected Dymond, who is in his second season at the helm. “We had five new players to varsity at the start of the season who needed some experience at this level.

“We suffered some early injuries, which set us back a bit, but once we got healthy and made some position adjustments, the team really started to play well.”

Fortunately for Dymond and his troops, they did and made their mark with their intensity and fortitude through their matches.

The Bears ended the regular season with an 11-5 record, winning their last five matches and gaining the fourth seed in the District 11 Class 4A bracket.

Thursday night, the Bears again exhibited their trademark grit and determination on their home court, but fell short to fifth-seeded Nazareth in a seesaw five-set match.

The Bears bounced back after they dropped the first set, 25-20, for a 25-15 victory. But they fell, 25-16 in the third set, only to capture the next set by the same score.

In the final set, Nazareth won a tight 15-12 battle. Rylee Ruggiero had 20 kills and 11 digs, and Kira Hnat added 28 assists and 15 digs for the Bears.

Dymond expected it to be a true tussle.

“It was a great match overall, with both teams wanting to win, and it came down to set five, and Nazareth made a few more plays than we did,” said Dymond. “I’m proud of the effort our girls put in not only tonight, but throughout the entire season.”

Dymond knows his team will miss the steady contributions from his seniors — all of whom anchored the squad.

“It’s always hard when the end of the season comes and we have to say goodbye to our seniors, Rylee Ruggiero, Molly Bergstresser, and Emma Weber,” said Dymond.

“I can’t say enough about how our senior captain, Rylee Ruggiero, was able to be the steady hand that our team could count on to get us back on track. It has been a pleasure to coach Rylee, and she will definitely be hard to replace next year.

“Emma Weber did a great job as a middle blocker, contributing significantly to our team’s strength in blocking, and Molly Bergstresser played versatile roles in our back row.”

Yet, the Bears will bring back seven key returnees, who gained valuable experience this season.

Hnat, along with fellow juniors Emmerson Deluna, Mya Williams, Lila Borger, Sasha Slozina and Ella Rothrock, along with sophomore Isabella Slizewski, will form a solid core.

“Kira Hnat was made our primary setter, and Emmerson Deluna became our libero,” said Dymond. “Kira gained confidence and did a great job running our offense. We got steady serving from Mya Williams, and she anchored our defense in the back row.

“Lila Borger worked her way into our starting rotation and has become a great all-around player. Sasha Slozina stepped up for us as an outside hitter and steadily improved throughout the season, and Ella Rothrock played multiple roles for us in the front and back row for us at times.

“Isabella Slizewski has developed into a special player as our middle blocker.”

Along with the anticipated unit, Dymond sees sophomores Victoria Cappelletti, Hunter Farkas, and Jessica Tartamella all pushing for playing time next season.

Dymond understands the loss may sting, but realizes the bigger picture ahead after the team’s growth this season.

“It was a tough loss tonight,” said Dymond. “But I’m really proud of how far our team came in the second half of the season.’”

BEAR BITES ... Pleasant Valley won eight of its last nine matches during the regular season. In the postseason, the Bears fell to Freedom in the EPC quarterfinals, and then to Nazareth in districts.

Nazareth 3, Pleasant Valley 2

Nazareth 25 15 25 16 15

Pleasant Valley 20 25 16 25 12

Stat Leaders: Pleasant Valley - Rylee Ruggiero 20 kills, 11 digs, 7 aces; Kira Hnat 28 assists, 15 digs, 3 aces; Lila Borger 18 digs, 5 kills, 2 assists; Emma Weber 11 blocks; Sasha Slozina 9 digs, 6 kills, 4 assists; Isabella Slizewski 8 blocks, 7 digs, 5 kills, 2 aces; Mya Williams 11 digs, 5 aces; Molly Bergstresser 7 digs; Emmerson Deluna 9 digs.

Records: Nazareth (11-8); Pleasant Valley (11-7)