Washington swept by Clippers

It was a tough night for the Washington volleyball team, as they weren?t able to get a groove going against Clear Creek-Amana.

In regional volleyball action, the Demons went to Tiffin and left after being swept 25-13, 25-8, 25-12 by the Clippers, who advanced on in the tournament play.

The loss marked the end of the season for Washington, who went 7-23 this year, improving on a 6-25 campaign from 2014.

?The biggest message I try to convey to them is to focus on the good memories we?ve made,? Washington volleyball head coach Julianna Berg said. ?It?s easy to feel a lot of the negativity and feel upset that we didn?t perform as well as we?d like, but there are many good things that came out of the season. We need to focus on those positive things.?

In the match, junior Jessie Buchholz had a pair of aces, while senior Morgan Kimball had three kills to lead the team.

With the season ending, six seniors (Kimball, Amber Salow, Emma Stout, McKenna Brinning, Joceline Spenner and Shelby Mineart) saw their volleyball careers come to a close, and Berg said they were the glue that held the team together this year.

?They were the rock for the team,? Berg said. ?They were the mature players and everyone looked to them for how to do things. Having that leadership was big, and seeing how some of those girls grew as leaders, they did a really nice job.?

Looking ahead to 2016, the Demons will return a number of athletes who saw a lot of action this year, including sophomore setter Megan Mitchell and Buchholz, as they look to build off what they learned this season.

?The younger girls are eager and excited and want to be a part of this program,? Berg said. ?I hope they come back excited next year after some work in the offseason, but we have some promise.?