Pleasant Valley volleyball senior co-captains Jacelyn James and Nora Jones both agreed on a pivotal point this season when they and their teammates gained a sense of self-assurance.

It was in their 3-2 victory against Pocono Mountain East.

“When we beat East, we felt very confident in our abilities, and to take our games to the next level,” said James, who will attend Cornell next fall. “It was a tough match, but we put it all together. We knew we could be even better.

“That was a super-intense match,” added Jones, who wants to continue her volleyball career in college, but is undecided about her choice. “We were all very proud that we pulled it out, and it proved something to us. From there, we have more confidence in our game and in each other.”

That type of karma certainly carried the eighth-ranked Bears in their 3-0 loss to top-seeded and host Parkland in the opening round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) playoffs Saturday.

Pleasant Valley lost the opening game, 25-13, but they then battled the Trojans - ranked second in the state - to a 25-22 tilt. They lost the final game, 25-15.

James had five blocks, and Jones had five kills. Junior Lexi Womack had 10 digs and four kills, while fellow junior Brianna Bruckman had 11 assists.

Head coach John Gesiskie saw the same kind of karma emerge in the second game of the match in which the Bears nearly emerged on top.

“We were down in the second game, and then made a big comeback,” he said. “You could see how the girls were believing in themselves. We got it to 23-22, but then we made a mistake and lost our momentum.

“But they have battled through all season long, and we have shown a lot of progress.”

Gesiskie has watched the current group of six seniors practically develop without any upperclassmen leadership along the way. There weren’t any seniors on the squad the past two seasons.

“These girls really learned on their own the past two years,” said Gesiskie. “They took it upon themselves to get better. They worked the whole year around with weight training and workouts.

“We can rotate 14 players on a regular basis and we have height. We’ll lose six girls, but we’ll have eight back with experience. We also have a good bunch of eight graders.

“These girls really support and push each other. They’re playing well, and we’re looking forward to districts.”

The Bears (12-6 during the regular season) are seeded seventh in the Class 6A district bracket, and a rematch with second-seeded Parkland could be coming.

James, who admittedly would like to play a few more seasons with her current teammates, sees plenty of positives ahead.

“We’re looking forward to districts, and you can see the confidence and leadership here,” said James. “This team will be in good shape for the future with my teammates and the girls coming up.”

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS ... Pleasant Valley also received five kills and two blocks from Sarah Ballek, while Emma Bergstresser finished with two kills and five blocks. Hannah Akob chipped in with three blocks, and Emily Shupp contributed three assists and a pair of digs.

DISTRICT ACTION ... The Bears don’t return to action until the quarterfinal round of district, which are scheduled for Oct. 27.