Following a second place finish to Howell North in conference and a second place finish to DeSmet in districts, the boys volleyball team ended its season Monday, falling to CBC in two games in the quarterfinals.

“The first game we just made a lot of mistakes and didn’t give ourselves a chance to win,” Head Coach Mark McAfee said.

The Spartans led for a brief period in the second game, but according to Coach McAfee, the team then switched to “playing not to lose mode” instead of “playing to win mode,” which resulted in more mistakes and opportunities for the other team to win.

This ended the team’s season with a record of 26-8-2.

“We really felt coming into the season that we were the best team we’ve had,” Coach McAfee said. “One thing after another kept throwing up road blocks and we really weren’t able to overcome it.”

However, the coach added that, in part, the team has been spoiled by their past successes.

“If you just look at wins and losses, you would have to say we had a good season, but once you get to the finals, you want to go back,” Coach McAfee said.

The team has now made it to the quarterfinals the last five years in a row.