It’s not tangible.

And technically, it’s something you can’t see.

But when it happens, you sure can recognize it.

Momentum is a part of most sports, but in volleyball it’s especially noticeable.

With Lehighton and Notre Dame-Green Pond tied at one set apiece in Monday’s District 11 Class 3A first round volleyball matchup, the two teams battled back and fourth in the critical third game. The Crusaders, however, mustered the final momentum swing of the set to pull out a narrow victory.

From there, Notre Dame rode that emotional wave to a convincing fourth set win to claim a 25-15, 16-25, 25-22, 25-11 decision to advance to the quarterfinals and end the Indians season.

“Volleyball is a game of momentum,” said Lehighton head coach Lauren Nietz. “I think we did a really good job of fighting until the end of the third and fourth set for that momentum. That was a really fun game to coach in the second and third set with the momentum switches, but it is a game of momentum and you just have to come back when they get a run.

“It’s tough when you battle back like we did and then end up losing the third like that. It’s tough to come back momentum wise.”

The 10th-seeded Crusaders led from start to finish in the opening set, while the Indians (14-9) returned the favor in the second. Both teams had double-digit margins during their respective wins.

But in the third, neither squad had more than a four-point advantage.

Lehighton got the early start before Notre Dame (11-8) used a run to go ahead. The two clubs were then knotted at 7-7, 8-8, 10-10 and 11-11 before the visitors reeled off four straight points. The Indians fought back, though, getting a pair of kills from Makenna Snyder and one from Lorah Thomas during an 8-0 spurt that put Nietz’s team back in front.

Notre Dame’s top players — Addy Wilson and Nicole Murabet — came through when it mattered most, as both delivered a pair of kills down the stretch. Their efforts highlighted a 10-3 flurry that gave them a 25-22 triumph.

“They are our stronger hitters,” said Crusader mentor Sarah Wukitch. “They’re also smart with where they go with their placement of the ball.

“Sometimes we tend to lean back a little bit because we’re comfortable and we’re playing well, so we think that’s going to continue but today they truly continued on and they pushed. Even if a play ended up not in our favor, they came back strong, aggressive and smart.”

Unfortunately for seventh-seeded Lehighton, it wasn’t able to come back strong from that tough defeat.

Notre Dame controlled the fourth set, racing to a 15-4 lead as Wilson and Sarah Pelc each delivered a pair of kills. The Indians trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

“We know Lehighton’s a tough competitor and ... they were going to fight,” said Wukitch. “We were expecting them to be tough, but I don’t think we were mentally prepared in that second set so once we got that second set out of the way, that third set really kind of showed who we are as a team coming back ... and showing that one (bad) set wasn’t going to defeat us.”

The Indians did fight after the first set loss, flexing their muscles in the second. Thomas and Jocelynn Kuhn both had a pair of kills, while Snyder contributed a kill and an ace to tie the match at 1-1.

“We had a conversation in the second set that no one else is going to go out there and do it for you,” said Nietz. “And we also talked about just having fun. We play our best volleyball when we’re having fun, and again we were on the panic button for too long in the first set. We got a little bit of a spark at the end of the first and ... we needed to carry that into the second set and again, start having fun.”

SENIOR FAREWELL ... The contest was the final one for six Lehighton seniors — Thomas, Kuhn, Snyder, Lyla Kershner, Vera Hartsell and Timara Klotz. “They mean everything,” said Nietz. “The only statement I had for them was, ‘How lucky are we to have something that’s so hard to let go of?’ This group of seniors is really special to the program and to me. They left a mark on this program ... and they’ve given this program a good reputation through their hard work.”

RUBBER MATCH ... The two teams split their regular season matches, both winning on their opponents home floor by 3-1 scores. Ironically, it was the same result on Monday.

TOUGH TASK ... With its win, Notre Dame now faces Southern Lehigh, the Colonial League champions, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.