The Pitt-Greensburg women’s basketball team made the transition to a new coach in 2024, with Julie Bolden taking the reins. The season was not without its challenges.

In addition to the usual injuries that necessitate lineup changes, a couple of players, Bolden said, had a tough time playing under a new coaching regime and left the team. So Bolden had to ask the remaining players to carry a bigger burden.

One of those was Highlands grad Jocelyn Bielak. Though only a freshman, Bielak took over the point guard duties.

“I asked a lot of her,” Bolden said. “When it comes to work ethic, when it comes to doing the right thing, Jocelyn’s got a really good head on her shoulders.

“I definitely push her into a lot of areas where she’s uncomfortable, but she steps up every single time. … She will work so hard at it, and she’s going to push through the frustration of not being great at it at first. She’s going to come back and be better at it than she was before.”

Bielak responded by averaging 10.0 points — second to Derry grad Tiana Moracco among UPG’s regulars — 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She scored in double digits 13 times and had double-digit rebounds four times.

In the season finale against Pitt-Bradford, she posted 30 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Bobcats to one of their only two Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victories. UPG finished 4-21 overall, 2-14 in the AMCC.

“Heading into my season last year, I definitely think being a freshman I … expected to be a little bit of a role player and have to kind of integrate myself into the team and kind of work my way up,” she said. “I had to step up a little bit more than I thought I would.”

Bielak said, at first, she played tentatively, unsure of what she could do at the college level. As the season went along and as Bolden kept prodding, her confidence grew.

In seven December games, she scored in double figures six times. But her contributions went beyond scoring.

She had a 10-assist game against Penn State Beaver. She posted six steals against Kenyon. She had back-to-back 11-rebound games.

“Jocelyn is going to take what’s given to her,” Bolden said. “If it’s her day to score points, she’s going to put some points on the board. If it’s her day to assist her teammates, she’s going to assist her teammates. She does whatever is needed within the game.”

Now, as her sophomore season begins, Bielak is looking to expand her game and make even more contributions. Bolden said she is working with Bielak on basketball IQ as well as fine-tuning her defense.

Offensively, Bielak said she spent a lot of time in the offseason working on her shot, specifically being more of a threat from the perimeter. She also has more confidence in taking players one-on-one.

“If I had the ball in my hands, I always felt I kind of had a little bit of trouble or wasn’t comfortable doing a move and getting past that defender,” she said. “At the end of the season, I felt a lot more comfortable with it and confident in my ability to do it.”

Much will be asked of Bielak again this season, particularly given the size of UPG’s roster. Only nine players are listed.

But Bielak doesn’t see that as a bad sign. She said she has been impressed with how together the team is and anticipates that the Bobcats have a few surprises in store for the opposition.

“I think our team is going to do well this year,” she said. “I see a lot of talent in our team, and just the difference from last year is crazy. I can tell a difference in how we play together, how we act together, and we have a lot of potential for sure.”

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