Madison College’s successful volleyball season ended just a few points shy of earning a national tournament berth after falling to rival Harper College, 3-2, in the NJCAA Region IV Championship on Oct. 28.

The WolfPack had a first round bye and started play in the tournament semifinal by beating College of DuPage, 3-2. After losing the first and third sets, Madison College rallied to victory by winning the fourth set, 25-21, and the fifth set, 15-9.

Next up was Harper College, the same opponent Madison College faced in the championship game last year. In a gritty five-set match, the WolfPack came up just short. Unable to beat Harper all year, Madison College played strong all the way to end and eventually lost in a closely contested fifth and final set, 16-14.

“We brought our A game,” said coach Ashley Davis. “We played our best volleyball of the season against Harper and had just a couple plays not fall our way in the fifth set.”

Davis, in her first year as head coach, coached the women’s volleyball team to a 21-8 overall record, and a 9-3 conference record.

“I will for sure feel more confident going into next year just from the standpoint of I now understand everything across the board,” Davis said of her first year as head coach.

It was a good first year with a challenging schedule. Going into next year, Davis will have a full offseason to prepare and incorporate what she learned in her first season.