After getting swept in the EPC championship to Emmaus last week, Whitehall volleyball coach George Cowitch hopes that experience can be something the Zephyrs build on in the District 11 3A tournament.

Step one in that mission was achieved Tuesday night, as Whitehall swept Northampton in the district quarterfinals to set up a rematch with Freedom in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

A win puts them in next week’s finals, where Emmaus and Parkland square off on the other side of the bracket.

The Green Hornets have been the class of the district and league this year and getting a chance to play them in the EPC title game is something Cowitch and company hope they can build on as the district tournament gets deeper.

“We definitely got outclassed by Emmaus in the first two sets,” said Cowitch of the EPC championship. “We didn’t follow the game plan and I need to do a better job making sure the players are on the same page. Set three is who we are and we should have finished that off and extended the match. For some, the lights were too bright, and you learn from moments like that. You can’t teach experience, you have to get there to have it. I think if we can get back, we will be better prepared.”

Standing in their way is a Freedom (16-4) squad that has made noise this year and advanced with a sweep of Dieruff on Tuesday.

The Pates lost to Whitehall (19-3) in five games earlier this season, but have battled against all the top tier teams in the district this year.

Freedom is short handed missing some of their key players for the stretch run, but that isn’t what Cowitch is worried about.

He just wants his group to play their style of volleyball at this point.

“I just want to see us play Whitehall Volleyball,” said Cowitch. “The message is always to get ourselves into contention when May comes. We always feel we are good enough to make it to the finals.

“Our guys need to have a sense of urgency at this point, and we have been preaching that to them. It seems tough to get young kids to understand that, but at this point if you don’t, you are done.”