Head coach George Cowitch hopes it’s a long evening of volleyball when the District XI AAA tournament gets under way this week.

The Zephs, the 7th seed, square off against Pottsville, the 10th seed, in the opening round of the D-11 tourney at Liberty. The Crimson Tide, who play in the Schuylkill League, finished 9-7 this season.

Cowitch is in the unique position of having to scout two teams when they tip off on Oct. 29.

If they win the pigtail match against the Tide, that immediately lands them in the quarterfinals where they’ll face Liberty.

Cowitch said it’s his first experience with the possibility of playing two games in one evening, something he never encountered as the boys coach.

So this week they’ve been preparing for both the Tide and the Hurricanes. As for Pottsville, Cowitch said they don’t have any real big hitters but they’re scrappy on defense. They shared one common opponent this season and that was Easton. The Red Rovers defeated the Tide 3-0, while the Zephs swept Easton 3-0 back on Sept. 10.

If they defeat the Tide, they’ll meet Liberty, the second-seeded team in the tourney. The ’Canes finished the season at 19-2, their only two losses coming at the hands of Parkland. The two teams didn’t play this season, but the Zephs will have to be prepared for a team that swept 14 of its 21 opponents this season.

If the Zephs are to have a successful Thursday, Cowitch said it comes down to playing a complete game.

“It’s about doing what we have to do and put a whole match together,” said Cowitch.

Cowitch said that their defense is solid, but they’ll need to be more consistent on offense, putting away points when the opportunity arises.

“If we can put the ball down on offense, because that’s what we’ve been lacking, we’ll be right there,” said Cowitch.

He said the time is now to start putting all those factors together since they may have to play back-to-back games.

“If you’re going to do it, do it on Thursday,” he said.

The first-year coach said he gave the team off a week, and then got back into the gym this week as they prepare for districts. He said the layoff helped; it renewed their focus and they came back relaxed and ready for the start of the postseason.

“They’ve really looked better in practice,” he said.

The Zephs will be counting on their senior leadership as they look to advance through the tourney. Those seniors include Emily Castro, Cristal Fernandez, Korin Koehler and Anna Gallina.

Cowitch said it’s been two years since they’ve tasted the postseason and they’re excited to be playing this late in October.

“It’s a new experience for them,” he said. “They’re having fun.”