The Carthage women’s volleyball team has already proven it’s one of the best NCAA Division-3 squads in the country. The chance to be the best will have to wait.

Making their third consecutive regional final appearance, the Reds (33-6) suffered a season-ending defeat in falling to fourth-ranked Washington (Mo.) 26-24, 25-23, 25-12 at the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championship in St. Louis on Saturday. This is the third year in a row Carthage has lost in a regional final.

“It’s frustrating to keep getting to this point in the tournament and not getting past it,” Carthage coach Leanne Ulmer said. “It’s heartbreaking for the kids, but hopefully we can get back here and take that next step.”

Game 1 a thriller

Carthage opened with an epic battle in Game 1. In a game that featured 13 ties, Washington (31-4) claimed the final two points with the game knotted 24-24. The Bears tallied the winning point on a hitting error from Amanda Matusky.

“The first set was like a prize fight,” Ulmer said. “We throw a punch, and they throw a punch. It came down to a couple of points at the end. I give Washington all the credit, because they made some great plays when they needed to. We didn’t make the plays at the end like we needed to.”

Lead slips away

Carthage couldn’t hold a 22-20 lead in Game 2. Washington tied it 22-22 and eventually won on an attacking error from Lauren Dembkowski. In Game 3, the Reds trailed 9-3 and never recovered.

“Washington kept the pressure on us, and I think we lost some of our confidence,” Ulmer said. “Once it goes South, it’s hard to get it turned back around.”

Dembkowski finished with 10 kills and was named to the all-tournament team along with Reds’ opposite hitter Rachel Swoboda. Washington’s Lauren Budde had 12 kills and hit .226.

The Bears advanced to the championship round Nov. 19-21.