Tabor volleyball team ousted at regionals
Tabor volleyball season ends after first-round loss to 14th ranked Doane
The third time was indeed a charm, but the first time proved to be a killer for the Lady Bluejays.
Advancing past the KCAC tournament for the first time in school history, three-time league champion Tabor had its dream season come to a screeching halt Thursday night in the opening round of the Region IV volleyball tournament in Omaha, Neb.
The eliminator, the 14th ranked Doane Lady Tigers, a team that Bluejay coach Amy Ratzlaff last faced back at her days at Bethel.
But the Tigers beat the Bluejays in three, 30-23, 30-22, and 30-17.
The Bluejays end the season at 20-13 overall and 15-3 in the KCAC.
"It was hard to see it end," Bluejay coach Amy Ratzlaff said. "I think my women came out ready to play; we were ahead the first game. We were passing the ball well, and our offense was running well.
"Then Doane started to serve a little harder on some of our passes, and we weren't where we needed to be. Their offense got going, and they started to hit the ball at us. You just can't play like that at that level. But the women played hard, and I really feel like we did a lot of things well."
Playing her final game of an outstanding career, Sarah McAllister paced the Bluejays with 30 assists.
League newcomer of the year Staci Whitcomb led Tabor in kills with eight, followed by Angela Kroeker's seven, also playing her final game as a Bluejay.
Rachelle Regier led the charge in blocks with a trio in her last appearance as a Tabor volleyball player.
Two other Bluejays said goodbye to the program Thursday, Laura Campbell and Carmen Hein.
"I'm really proud of the women, they came in and did a great job," Ratzlaff said. "We accomplished a lot of goals and went to the playoffs which was obviously a huge goal for us.
"Seasons like this are unexplainable, you enjoy them so much that its so hard to see them come to an end, especially for the seniors, but for the rest of the team as well. You never get this group (seniors) back again and that is hard."
While graduation will take a toll on the Bluejays this year, Tabor should return enough talent and sign recruits to make defending its title achievable.
