EASTON – Jennifer Danzeisen thought about the matches.

The Palmerton tennis coach processed the results.

There was no question she wanted a victory for the Blue Bombers.

But any disappointment Danzeisen had after Palmerton’s 4-1 loss to Notre Dame Green Pond on Monday in the District 11 Class 2A quarterfinals was quickly erased because of one thing.

Effort.

“We made them really work hard for that win,” said Danzeisen. “And that’s all I asked our kids to do today, is to make them work for it. And we played well.

“We definitely all improved (from the beginning of the season) to now, so I definitely saw improvements. At some point, all of our kids had some really good shots. They all got better, and I think that’s really important.”

Mattis Willuhn had the only victory for the sixth-seeded Blue Bombers, dispatching Victor Blasi 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 singles. Willuhn had previously defeated Blasi three times this season, most recently for third place in the Colonial League’s No. 2 singles bracket.

“The first time I struggled playing against him, because I didn’t know him at all. I didn’t know how he played,” said Willuhn. “But we played them twice during the regular season, and then I played him at leagues.”

With each victory, Willuhn’s confidence grew, something that showed in this match.

“I would say it’s easier, because I can go into the match with a plan, and I know what I want to do, how I want to play,” Willuhn said of facing Blasi again. “So I would say it’s an advantage.

“I think I played mostly the way I wanted to play. I had a little trouble in the second set, because I just needed to refocus. But I caught myself there, and was still able to finish it.”

Palmerton’s Nate Andress had a familiar opponent in Pat Bassil at No. 1 singles.

The two split their regular season meetings, with Andress winning the second match in three sets. Bassil won the third matchup in the No. 1 singles bracket at the league tournament.

After dropping the first set 6-1, Andress rallied in the second, cutting a 5-2 deficit to 5-4 before Bassil closed it out.

“I got down early in the first set … tried to climb back, but it was too late,” Andress said. “I know him pretty well, so I knew what he was gonna do. But you have to adjust to how he’s gonna play, even when maybe he switches his game a little, because he adjusts to you. It’s a chess match.”

Though he was dissatisfied with the loss, Andress took pride in his ability to battle back - and nearly push the match into a third set.

“It’s important, because it’s something in the toolbox I can pull out,” the junior said. “You don’t want to pull it out, but if you have it, you might as well use it.

“But it was a tough match. He was seeded fifth at districts, and he’s a really good player.”

PREVIOUSLY

… Notre Dame defeated Palmerton twice during the regular season. The Crusaders picked up a 4-1 victory on March 15, and earned a 3-2 win in the second meeting.

UP NEXT

… Notre Dame will face No. 2 seed Saucon Valley today in the semifinals. The Panthers defeated No. 7 Bethlehem Catholic 5-0 on Monday to reach the semis.

ON THE HORIZON

… The first and second rounds of the District 11 Class 2A and 3A doubles tournaments, which will see Andress pair up with Willuhn, are scheduled to begin next Monday at Lehigh University. The quarterfinals and semis will be held on Tuesday at Saucon Valley, with the finals set for Thursday at Lehigh.

Notre Dame Green Pond 4, Palmerton 1

SINGLES

Pat Bassil (ND) def. Nate Andress 6-1, 6-4; Mattis Willuhn (P) def. Victor Blasi 6-2, 6-4; Aristotle Blasi (ND) def. Marc Roselli 6-1, 6-0.

DOUBLES

Ben Nixdrof/Kaiden Chinchar (ND) def. Taylor Hirochek/Erica Messics 6-0, 6-0; Gavin Chinchar/Brian Myers (ND) def. Jon Hillanbrand/Kory Kratzer 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 11-8.