BETHLEHEM - Panther Valley fought, and it fought hard.

The No. 5 seeded Panthers faced Eastern Pennsylvania Conference powerhouse and No. 4 seed Bethlehem Catholic in the District 11 3A quarterfinals on Wednesday.

PV made the Golden Hawks (21-5) work for each and every point, but in the end it was Becahi that was able to make a few more plays and score a few more points to come away with the 3-1 win, 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21.

The Golden Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Becahi pulled away late in the first set. After a 12-12 tie, it would go on a nice run to extend its lead to 20-14. Two aces by Piper Ruggiero and two kills by Leah Bender finished off PV for the 25-15 win.

The second set was a foreshadowing of things to come, as the Panthers battled the Golden Hawks the whole way, trailing by just one point late, 21-20. Becahi went to its sophomore outside hitter to close out the second in Jocelyn Bell. Bell was a match-up issue throughout the match for the Panthers, as she finished the second strong with a kill and two aces to help her squad edge PV, 25-20.

“I thought we really executed our plan well in those first two sets. We definitely watched some film to figure out some tendencies, and to see what we could do to be successful,” said Becahi head coach Jessica Attieh. “But PV made some good adjustments. They’re a very good defensive team, so you have to give them credit for being able to do that.

“But we were able to get back on track. Jocelyn Bell is a phenomenal player. She’s definitely way beyond her years as a player. Offensively, defensively, she’s always performing, and if she makes a mistake, she has the mental toughness to bounce back right away and make the correction.”

The Panthers stole the momentum of the match in the third set, and did so storming back from a 15-8 deficit to eventually tie it at 22-22. Great defensive play and kills from Morgan Orsulak, Emma Dacey, Chloe Hadley and an ace from JaeLynn Browdy helped PV to close in on the Golden Hawks.

A kill from Orsulak, who had seven kills in the third, would give PV a one-point lead, followed later by a kill from Natalie Vermillion. A Becahi miscue with the Panthers having set point gave them the energizing, 25-23 third set victory.

“We just made the adjustment to be a little more aggressive, and we told the girls to be on their toes a little more and be ready to move. I think we were a little too planted in those first two sets, because the girls knew that they had really good hitters and they were kind of waiting back to defend those strong swings. So, it was a great job by our girls making that adjustment,” said Panther Valley head coach Emilie Hannis. “We were able to keep them out of system, so we weren’t getting their strongest swings, which is what you need to do against a team of that caliber. And then we were able to run our offense and really swing away on our end.”

PV continued to hold that momentum throughout the fourth set, answering every Becahi surge, battling the Golden Hawks to a 19-19 tie late in the frame. Becahi looked to create a little distance getting a two-point cushion at 21-19, but a nice answer by Browdy would bring PV back within one.

However, that’s when the Golden Hawks would go back to Bell. Back-to-back kills from Bell would make it a 23-20 Becahi lead, which it was able to then close out the set for the 3-1 win.

“I know that most people thought we were going to lose this match in three. But our girls showed tonight how tough they are. Becahi is a very good team, but I thought we played to their level,” said Hannis. “These girls never gave up and that’s something that we’re always proud of here, is that we’re never going to give up in a match, we’re always going to continue to fight. Again, it was an amazing season. I’m so proud of these girls and what they were able to accomplish this season.”

PV STAT LINE… Orsulak led the way with 20 kills, and also came away with 16 assists. Vermillion added 12 kills and 11 digs and Abby Benack had 17 assists. On the defensive side, Caroline Breslin led the way with 21 digs, and Emma Dacey added 15 digs.

RING THE BELL… The Becahi super sophomore Bell was impressive, leading everybody with 23 kills. Bender also had a nice night, collecting 12 kills.

2024 SEASON… The Schuylkill League runner-up Panthers finish the season at an exceptional 22-6.