The Waynesburg University’s women’s volleyball team finished their season with two losses to finish what has been a difficult season, where the Jackets have won only six total sets after winning their first match of the season against Pitt Greensburg.

The match against Westminster saw the Jackets lose sets, 25-3, 25-7 and 25-16. Waynesburg only recorded 11 points, not counting Westminster errors, with 10 kills and only scored three kills in the first two sets.

When the second match started, Waynesburg struggles continued against Oberlin College, where Waynesburg only scoring a total of 20 points in the first two sets, including four errors by Oberlin. The Jackets won the third set, but had some help due to 11 errors by Oberlin. In the fourth set, Waynesburg’s season ended in a 25-18 Oberlin victory, thus ending the 1-25 season and 12-104 career record for seniors Delaney Denniston, Kara Sapp and Casey Hall.

Head coach Stephanie Benkowski declined to comment after the two losses this past weekend.

Sapp did comment on what Benkowski’s message was to the team after the loss to Westminster.

“Her ending message between games was to see who was still there and to continue playing that last game we had to have that final push and she simply asked us if we were ready,” said Sapp.

Along with Sapp, junior outside hitter Jordyn Wyllie shared Benkowski’s comments in between games.

“After the first match, [the message] was to give it everything you have,” said Wyllie. “This is our last game to play for the seniors, play for each other, play as a team and just go out there and get them.”

Sapp felt her team’s mistakes showed as she saw signs of disconnect between her teammates as they faced a Westminster team that out-matched a Waynesburg team that, late in the season, was still working with its lineup.

“We had a lot of issues coming together as a team,” said Sapp. “You really could see it on the court and we really weren’t meshing and the second game we went through a lot of lineups.”

Even with such a large defeat, Wyllie was able to walk away from the loss with some hope that things will improve and players will come back next year to play.

“The first match was teaching a lesson and how are we going to dig our self out of it – how can we, as teammates, build each other up and encourage each other on the court or on the bench,” said Wyllie.

Looking towards next season, Wyllie feels that the returning players the Yellow Jackets anticipate returning will be able to bounce back and start the process of building a winner.

“Moving forward you see our very young team juniors moving into senior leadership roles, they have a very important role,” said Wyllie. “The sophomores and freshmen as well, I think losing that game puts a bad taste in your mouth, it makes you want to be better for next year.”

Waynesburg finished the season Saturday and it has been nine years since their last appearance in the PAC Tournament in 2008 where they lost in the semifinals to Westminster 3-1.