A nine-year streak is over for the Estevan Comprehensive School senior boys volleyball team.
The Elecs lost to the Swift Current Colts in straight sets in a must-win game at regionals on Saturday, meaning they will not advance to provincials for the first time in a decade.
The Elecs started well, finishing first in their round-robin pool with a 3-0 record, but it all fell apart with consecutive losses to Weyburn and Swift Current.
After getting a bye to the semifinals, the Elecs lost in three sets to Weyburn, but all was not lost. With Weyburn hosting provincials this year, they have an automatic berth, so the bronze medal game at regionals determined the second southern representative.
That game was a rematch of Friday's win over the Colts, which Elecs head coach Nathan Johnson called "our best match of the season."
But the Elecs lost in two sets the second time around, ending their season.
"It was a disappointing way to end the season after setting ourselves up nicely with a first-place finish in pool play," Johnson said.
Central would go on to beat Weyburn in the final to win their second straight south regional title.
In round-robin action, the Elecs started by beating Yorkton Regional in straight sets on Friday. They then defeated Swift Current 26-24, 25-15, in what Johnson called the peak of the weekend.
The Elecs then beat Vanier in their final round-robin match.
The ECS senior girls, meanwhile, didn't make it out of their pool after going 0-3.
They lost 25-16, 25-20 to the Weyburn Eagles in their first game on Friday, then had their tightest game of the tournament on Saturday, losing 25-21, 22-25, 24-26 against Central. Estevan held leads of 6-2 and 13-7 in the deciding set, but couldn't hold on.
The Elecs lost 25-7, 25-15 to the Swift Current Ardens in their last game.
