The Westminster volleyball team started off strong in this year’s district playoff tournament. Listed as the two seed, they started off with a “bye”—bypassing the first round—and went on to dominate Ursuline Academy in the semifinals, winning three consecutive sets.

Unfortunately, the team fell to Visitation in the next and final round of districts on October 28th by a score of three sets to two. Despite the loss, however, the girls gave Viz a run for their money up until the very last point of the fifth and final match.

“We were all expecting a district championship that night. We came out on fire winning our first set 25-16, but just got lost in the chaos in our other sets,” said Emma Volding, senior.

The hardest part about this loss for the girls was their false anticipation of a win. So, when their hopes and expectations died, the loss was even more heart-wrenching for the team.

“They were one of two teams that had beat us during the regular season, but we were very fired up to play them again. After the first set I really thought we were going to take home that first place plaque. But unfortunately after a long battle, we took second place,” said Hailey Pritchett, junior.

Although the five matches against Viz were competitive, the team recognized a few mistakes that contributed to the loss.

“I saw that we were playing really tight on the court for some parts and not to our full potential,” said Volding.

The team will be losing seniors Elsie Payne and Emma Volding. Often, when a team loses players, the dynamic noticeably shifts. However, the rest of the team is proud of their accomplishments throughout the adversity of COVID-19 and is looking forward to next season.

“There are a lot of talented players on the team and while I wish that we would have done better and won, I am excited to see how they play in the future,” said Volding.