BETHLEHEM –The thoughts came and went, darting back-and-forth like a volley and its return.

Palmerton’s Nate Andress and Pleasant Valley’s Josh Schaffner replayed moments from the past, reliving points and rewinding memories.

Andress and Schaffner found themselves in a similar situation Monday at the District 11 singles tournament.

For Andress, it was the same stage he’s reached the past three seasons, while for Schaffner it’s the one he made it to a year ago.

Each time, the second round of the event is where their journey has ended.

Until now.

The duo exorcised their demons at Lehigh’s Ulrich Tennis Complex, advancing to the district quarterfinals for the first time.

Andress powered past Pen Argyl’s Brendan McMahon 6-1, 6-4 in his Class 2A second round match, while Schaffner turned back Parkland’s Dan Zolatarev 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) in Class 3A competition.

“Being seeded, you’re expected to win,” said Andress, who was the sixth seed. “So there’s a little more pressure.”

Where success eluded them in the past, Andress and Schaffner thrived in their return.

Schaffner, who fell in a three-set thriller in the second round last season, fought off a stiff test from Zolatarev to make sure his season would continue.

“Last year, I was so close to winning, and I didn’t, so I was getting flashbacks to that in this second set; that’s why it went to a tiebreaker,” said Schaffner, who is seeded fourth in the 3A tournament. “But I made it to the second day, so now the nerves have calmed down, and I should be a lot better.”

Andress will play No. 3 seed Michael Swope of Palisades in the quarters, while Schaffner will take on Whitehall’s Nick Rohn in his next match.

Schaffner breezed into the second round with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Quinn Erk of Emmaus in his opening match. Andress had little trouble in his first round match, dispatching Allentown Central Catholic’s Andy Feng 6-0, 6-0.

The second round wasn’t so smooth.

Inclement weather hit the area and play was stopped around 2:45 p.m. with Schaffner leading Zolatarev 6-1, 4-3 and Andress up 2-0 on McMahon.

“I actually prefer to play indoors,” said Andress. “It didn’t really look like it helped on the scoresheet, but I like playing indoors.”

Andress got back on the court when play resumed inside, waiting only around 15 minutes to resume play.

With only four courts available, Schaffner was forced to wait a bit longer to get back into the swing of things, a delay Zolatarev seemed to take advantage of.

“The first set was 6-1, I was cruising,” Schaffner said. “Then in the second set, I started losing momentum, but I was able to pull it out, so it was good.

“That second set was close because of my mental game. If my mental game is strong, I should be OK.”

And that’s where Andress and Schaffner showed the value in the experience they’ve gained playing in pressure-packed situations over the past three seasons.

“I’m very excited for him. He deserves this,” said Palmerton head coach Jennifer Danzeisen. “He’s worked hard for four years, and this is the first time he’s made it to the quarterfinals in singles, and I’m very proud of him.

“Nate has played in all kinds of weather; he plays indoors, he plays outdoors. He has to adjust all the time. I think he’s gotten better at that ... and he’s just better offensively and defensively, and all around.”

The same can be said of Schaffner, who ascended to the Bears’ top singles player a year ago and hasn’t looked back.

“I knew he was up for the challenge,” Bears head coach Mark Allison said of Schaffner. “He’s been playing well all year. I knew he was ready for it.”

Schaffner and Andress were the only players from the Times News area to advance to the quarterfinals.

Jim Thorpe’s Raymond O’Neil, Connor Rodgers and Emilio Mercado were all eliminated in the first round in Class 2A competition, as was Lehighton’s Olivia Frendt.

In Class 3A, Parkland’s Matthew Liu downed Pleasant Valley’s John Berry 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

Mercado won the first set against Pen Argyl’s Brendan McMahon 7-5, but dropped the second 6-1 and fell in the tiebreaker 10-7.

Salisbury’s Dylan Weber topped O’Neil 6-0, 6-1, while Notre Dame East Stroudsburg’s Colin Kissell dispatched Rodgers 6-2, 6-2.

“It was an extra day for them to play,” said Olympians’ head coach Norb Lienhard. “We didn’t come out on top, but I thought we could have had a chance, but things didn’t work out that way.

“And Connor and Raymond are back next year, which is huge.”

Allentown Central Catholic’s Johnson Zhou defeated Frendt 6-2, 6-0 in the first round.

“It was really nice being able to play in the tournament again,” said Frendt, the Tribe’s top singles player. “It shows you the skill level of all the players. And it’s definitely something just to be able to come here and hit with them.

“Just being able to hit with the boys makes you better as a player, because I never get to play with girls, so to be able to hit with them, and keep up with them sometimes is nice.”

Frendt watched as Maura Phelan, the Indians’ No. 1 singles player a year ago, competed in the tournament. It was an experience she benefited from taking the court this season.

“I grew up playing tennis with Maura, and I learned a lot from her,” said Frendt. “And just being able to come here again, and seeing what she had to play with, and being able to play with them, it was nice.”

NEXT PLAYER UP … Palmerton’s Erica Messics gained a spot in the 2A bracket as the first alternate, but fell 6-4, 6-3 to Blue Mountain’s Dan Wolfgang in the first round. Messics was slotted into the spot of No. 8 seed Michael Andres after each player was bumped up when third seed Bobby Smolyansky of Notre Dame East Stroudsburg scratched. “(I found out) at 11 a.m.,” Messics said with a laugh. “I really love tennis, so I was happy to be able to play today. It was a bit of a sudden thing, but I think I managed myself well, and still put up a fight against my opponent.”

CHANGE OF PLANS … With some second round matches still not finished, the 2A and 3A quarterfinals will now be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Parkland High School. The finals will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Lehigh.