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Boys volleyball (4–8) lost to the undefeated Richard Montgomery Rockets in the first round of the playoffs Thursday 3–0, marking an end to the Vikings’ most successful season in recent memory.

Facing off against an undefeated team is never easy, but the much improved Vikings managed to keep the sets competitive throughout the match.

“Although RM is undefeated, they did make mistakes and we were able to capitalize on them,” hitter John Lydon said. “In addition, we were able to get many solid hits from big men Graham Clifford and Joe Weidemann.”

The team fought valiantly, but could not stop the Rockets, who edged the Vikes out in three tight sets 25–17, 25–20, 25–20.

“I think we played our best game of the season,” Lydon said. “We all played very well and each set was close, but we were up against an undefeated team in RM and we couldn’t find a way to win.”

Regardless of how this game turned out, the progression the team has made this year is undeniable.

“At the beginning of the season, about half of us had never played volleyball,” defensive specialist Joe Weidemann said. “Stefan [Greenberg] and Coach Floyd were great at teaching us everything we need to know, and it took us from a band of fools to a pretty cohesive team.”

The team set itself an immense goal at the beginning of the season: make the playoffs. The players are ecstatic that they managed to meet this goal following the drought of recent years.

“It feels great to have made such a positive impact on this team and to have been so successful,” Lydon said. “Our main goal at the beginning of the season was to make playoffs and it was amazing to do so.”