In an emotional end to the season, the coed volleyball team lost 3–1 to the Damascus Hornets in the first playoff game Monday after finishing their regular season 8–3.

After a 25–18 win in the first set, the game went downhill for the Vikes, who were unable to regain control of the scoreboard.

“Our biggest issue was consistency,” right side hitter Simone Augustine said. “We couldn’t keep the run going the whole time.”

The second set immediately got off to a rough start for the Vikes, as the defense let many of the Hornets’ hits reach the ground, and they went down 7–0 early. By the end of the set they picked up their playing, however, and ended up losing by only two points.

The third and fourth sets were also tough blows on the Vikes’ defense, which in turn made it more difficult for their offense as the Hornets showed dramatic offensive improvement over the course of the game. The Vikings played hard, but ultimately fell 25–17 and 25–18, respectively.

“Our offense was good when our defense was good, so when we got a good pass up after the hit then we could get a good offense going, but I think if our defense was flat then our offense was flat,” Augustine said.

For next year, the Vikings plan to redeem themselves and make it as far into the playoffs as possible.