It was a disappointing game but a proud finish for the Belles. A Tuesday night loss to the Scots of Alma in round one of the MIAA tournament wrapped up a tough season that left Saint Mary's 1-11 in the MIAA and 3-16 overall, but the players left the court with their heads held high.

"We played better as a team than we have played probably all season," said head coach Julie Schroeder-Biek. "Alma was good competition for us and I felt like we finished the season with our heads held high."

The Scots took the match in three close games, winning 30-25, 30-23, 30-24. The Belles contributed their strong performance to heightened communication, a part of their game that has been weak all season.

"I think we communicated well to each other," senior Jaime Dineen said. "We've been working on that all season and I think it came together in the last game."

Dineen took her last look at a collegiate volleyball court as a player on Tuesday, along with defensive specialist Denise Langolis and middle hitter Jolie LeBeau. Senior outside attacker Angie Meyers was unable to finish her senior season due to a knee injury. Although Tuesday's game wasn't a victory, Dineen was satisfied with the way the team played as a solid way to finish her senior year.

"I think we really came together as a team against Alma and all the games were really close," she said. "We played really well, so it was a good way to finish the season on a high note."

Although Alma held the lead during most of the match, the Belles did manage to keep things close until the end.

"It was actually pretty much back and forth," Dineen said. "They would get ahead and we would battle back and get it close. It was pretty back and forth."

It was ultimately the Alma defense that brought home the win for the Scots. Despite a varied Saint Mary's offensive attack, the Alma defense refused to allow the Belles to score points and preserved the win for the second-ranked team in the MIAA tournament.

"Alma has really good defense," Dineen said. "They got a lot of our digs and tips. We tried to mix things up on offense and they always seemed to be right there."

Junior Elizabeth Albert and freshman Alison Shevik led the Belles attack. Albert made 12 kills and 19 digs during the game while Shevik made nine kills and 25 digs.

"Everyone really stepped up and really played their position to the fullest," Dineen said.

Alma will continue in the playoffs and face off against Calvin on Friday in the semifinals.

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