ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Hendrix College volleyball team's magical run came to a heartbreaking end as the team fell to No. 7 Washington University 3-2 in the NCAA Regional semifinal round.

The Warriors fell behind 2-0 before battling back to win the third and fourth sets and force a deciding fifth frame. The team came within just a few points of pulling off an incredible come-from-behind upset victory, but ultimately fell to the seventh-ranked Bears.

MC Rogers finished with a match-best 17 kills and supplied 17 digs while freshman Sara Dyslin added 15 kills on a .357 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Lauren Petrisin and Bradi Ryan finished with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Holyn Duyck and Allison Gaia combined for 50 assists on the night.

In the first set, the Warriors jumped out to an 8-5 lead behind stellar defense at the net. MC Rogers, Samantha Stockdale, and Natalie Masten combined to block three consecutive Washington attacks to give the visitors an early cushion. The Bears came storming back with seven straight points to earn a 12-8 lead. Hendrix continued to battle, tying the match at 21-21. The Warriors and Bears traded points, but Hendrix fell victim to a few unlucky breaks and fell 27-25 in the first.

In the second, Hendrix jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind kills from Ryan, Stockdale, and Petrisin. Yet again, the Bears came battling back to take the lead. Washington rode a .235 hitting percentage, earning 12 kills to take the second set 25-19.

With their backs to the wall, the Warriors came roaring back to take the third set, carried by their outstanding defense and balanced attack. Five different Warriors registered a kill in the third set, led by Petrisin with four. Hendrix held the Bears to a mild .083 hitting percentage in the third frame as the team rolled to a crucial 25-21 third set victory to cut the lead to 2-1.

In the fourth, the Warriors handed the ball over to Dyslin, who crushed kill after kill from the middle. The 6-2 freshman finished the fourth set with seven kills and earned three blocks as well. The squad followed their dominant middle to a 25-18 fourth set victory and entered the final frame with momentum, despite the hostile environment.

The final set was a whirlwind of back-and-forth momentum and emotion. Hendrix carried over their momentum into the fifth, earning a 3-1 lead on back-to-back kills from Dyslin. The Bears battled back to tie the match at 4-4, and then rattled off a 5-1 run to take a 9-5 lead. The Warriors refused to give up, and stormed back to tie the match at 13-13. After trading points, Hendrix came within inches of gaining match point. MC Rogers attacked the net on the left side, tipping the ball over a pair of defenders, but the potential go-ahead point landed just out, giving the Bears a 15-14 lead. Washington finished off the match on the next point, taking a 16-14 fifth set to earn the 3-2 victory.

Hendrix suffered only their second loss since September 28, with both coming to No. 7 Washington Unviersity. The Warriors set program records for single-season wins, finishing 31-6 overall, earned their first Southern Athletic Association crown, made their first NCAA Tournament appearance and grabbed the program's first NCAA win. The team will graduate Ella Concavage-Nasar, who donned the Orange and Black for four years.