Western Tech's first visit to the state final four in volleyball didn't last very long, yet coach Eric Jett and the Wolverines felt the experience garnered by participating at such a high level is something to savor.
Still, just an hour after the opening introductions, the Wolverines were dispatched by three-time defending state champion
Smithsburg, of Washington County, 25-7, 25-13, 25-11, in a Class 1A state semifinal Tuesday night at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum.
The Leopards advanced to play Perryville Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the same site.
Senior middle hitter Danielle Harbaugh (17 kills) and senior setter Sarah Shives (30 assists) led the winners.
"They are the three-time defending state champion and they played like it," Western Tech coach Eric Jett. "Clearly, they have a lot of girls who play in the offseason. Boy, they can play defense. When you play defense like that, and when you make it that hard on another team to score points, you can have that swagger."
Senior outside hitter Bria McCaskill (5 digs) and senior setter Aigner Chavis-Turner (6 assists, 3 digs) paced Western Tech, which never had the lead in the first or second games.
The best Western Tech could do was to draw even early in the first game, although the Leopards (15-2) jumped out to 7-2 lead before Jett called a timeout.
Things only got worse for the Wolverines (12-5), as Smithsburg ran off seven straight points to end the first game.
"They really stepped it up tonight," Smithsburg coach Rachel Brashear said. "They played flawless. They served-received well. They played all aspects of the game well."
Smithsburg was just as impressive in the second game, building a 13-3 lead thanks to the hitting of Harbaugh en route to the lopsided decision.
In the final game, Western Tech showed some energy by jumping out to a 4-2 advantage before the roof fell in under a 12-2 Leopard barrage.
Despite the outcome, the Wolverines celebrated their historic season and arrived four hours before the match to take plenty of pictures.
They knew what an accomplishment it was to advance as far as they did.
"We beat a couple of teams this year that we usually struggle against," said Jett, whose team swept Pikesville in the regional
final. "The season was just fantastic."