The St. Benedict girls volleyball team had three goals: Win their division, finish in the top three in the conference, and win a regional.
The Lady Bengals (20-8) accomplished all of those things in the 2012 season, but suffered a 2-0 loss (25-22, 25-21) in the class 2A sectional semifinal against the University High School Maroons at Christ the King High School Tuesday.
The Bengals had early leads in both games and kept things close, but a few costly hitting errors kept them from advancing. Senior setter Alexis Genge knows that with a roster of only seven players, it’s tough to bounce back from making mistakes.
“If we let ourselves get self-defeated, we’re done,” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s what happened. When we separate as a team, then we break down.”
Genge notched two kills to put the Bengals within one point late in the first game, but two consecutive points by the Maroons would seal the 25-22 victory. Genge still knows that although they were edged in the sectional semi-final, her team exceeded the expectations for the 2012 campaign.
“We’re an amazing team,” she said. “Nobody expected us to win regionals. Nobody expected us to even be here. Overall today, I’m just really proud of my team. I’ve played all four years and this is the furthest I’ve ever gotten (in the state tournament). Unfortunately we didn’t play our best game tonight, but it happens. I’m still really proud of us.”
