Athens Bible’s volleyball team might have fallen short of its ultimate goal of a state championship, but the Trojans still enjoyed an extremely successful season, which included advancing to the Class 1A State Tournament for the first time since 2014.

The Trojans’ season came to an end with a 3-0 (6-25, 23-25, 11-25) loss to Addison, which went on to win the state championship by defeating Meek 3-1 in the title game Friday.

However, the disappointing ending to the season didn’t overshadow the team’s accomplishments, which included a 36-14 record, an area championship and third place showings in both the north regional and state tournaments.

“No, we didn’t go all the way to the finals, but making it back to state for the first time in three years is a huge accomplishment,” Athens Bible coach E.A. Winland said. “That was kind of the goal all along. We definitely wanted to get back there. We all would have loved to take it all the way, but just getting back there and ending up top four in the state was a great accomplishment.”

Athens Bible began its playoff run with a 1A, Area 15 championship, defeating Decatur Heritage in the championship game. The Trojans than advanced to the state tournament by finishing third in the North Regional, beating Faith Christian in the quarterfinal to ensure a trip to state.

The Trojans then defeated Isabella in the quarterfinals of the state tournament before falling to Addison in the semifinals.

However, Athens Bible should be strong again next year, as the team only loses two seniors. Winland said in the aftermath of the loss, players were already focusing on next season.

“Even though it was hard and tears were shed, I had multiple girls come up to me and say this season may be over, but it’s the start of next season,” Winland said. “I have a lot of girls who will be doing conditioning or playing travel volleyball. They’re ready to keep a ball in their hands in travel ball in the off season. They’re making sure they are keeping their bodies in shape and keep getting better until we can get back in the gym together as a team next summer.”

While the goal of this season was to make it back to the state tournament, with so many key players returning, the goal might just get bigger next season.

“The girls are already looking forward to next season and focusing on the things we need to work on,” Winland said. “Our goal is to definitely make it down there again, but make it even further next year.”