Having won 17 of their last 21 matches and ending the regular season 24-10-2, the Lancers entered Districts this past weekend with all the momentum they could ask for. And by finishing second in a four-team pool, they advanced to the State quarterfinals against DeSmet at Kirkwood High School tonight.

The team started and ended District play, held at Lafayette on May 14, with easy 2-0 victories over Marquette and Northwest. What happened in between was more challenging.

After beating Marquette, the Lancers faced CBC (22-7) for the second time this season following a 2-0 win over the Cadets on April 4.

Things started off rough for the Lancers as they trailed 14-7 in the first game. Despite a furious rally that eventually gave them a 19-8 lead, CBC was able to hold on and take it 25-22.

After the Lancers easily took the second game 25-17, they let the decisive best-to-15 third game slip away. They appeared to be in control with a 12-10 lead, but were shut out from then on and fell 15-12.

“We’re not really disappointed. We played well, but just fell short. CBC got in our heads a little bit and talked some trash,” junior Luke Kreienkamp said.

The end result was a 2-1 defeat that put them in second place, but still able to advance to tonight’s 7:30 p.m. match against DeSmet. This will be their third meeting this season, with the Lancers winning one in the Parkway Central Tournament championship game and DeSmet taking the other on May 3.

“We have to have our passing and serve recieving as good as in the Parkway tournament,” Kreienkamp said.