With the volleyball regular season now over, the Zephyrs will begin preparing for the postseason in an effort to prolong their season as long as possible.

It will be the first trip back to the District XI playoffs following a one-year absence. They finished the season 10-8 overall, and were 8-8 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Zephs faced two division opponents in their final two games, dropping them both. They lost to Parkland 3-0 in the final match of the season. The Trojans are ranked first in the state, having completed an undefeated conference season. They’re also currently ranked 24th in the nation according to a popular prep website.

Head coach George Cowitch said that they played the Trojans tough, netting 16 points in the opener.

“We were scoring points against them,” said Cowitch. “The mental mistakes are what’s killing us.”

Cowitch said that those errors hurt their momentum, something they have to rectify if they’re going to beat a team like Parkland. They’ll need to sustain that momentum as long as possible in order to reverse their fortunes.

The Trojans completed the sweep, with wins of 25-9 and 25-14.

In that match, both Kristin Spengler and Cristal Fernandez had five kills. Spengler also dished out 10 assists. Korin Koehler led the way with 10 digs, while Emily Castro chipped in with eight.

The preceding game against Emmaus was another sweep for the visiting team. They were looking to rebound after losing on the Hornets home turf, but they couldn’t solve the Hornets on that night, losing 25-20, 25-15 and 25-15.

Cowitch said that in the first set the two teams were tied at 20, but they made too many mistakes down the stretch, giving up those five unanswered points. In the second set, they had to battle back from a 10-point deficit, eventually tying the game at 15-15. However, they couldn’t get any closer, losing 25-15. Emmaus completed the sweep by dropping the Zephs 25-15 in the final set.

Two of those games slipped away after the Zephs were able to draw even. Cowitch said they have to be ready to seize their opportunities early.

“Starting slow is not going to get it done versus good teams,” said Cowitch.

Spengler led the way with eight kills for the Zephs, while Fernandez notched three. Spengler also had 11 assists to go along with 12 digs, while Koehler and Castro both had nine digs. Additionally, Castro had two aces.

Cowitch said that right now they’re making unforced errors, something that wasn’t occurring as much earlier in the season. They were good at forcing their opponents into errors, and he hopes that’s something they can return to as they look toward the playoffs.

With over a week to prepare for the D-11 playoffs, Cowitch said the time will be valuable as they look to get players rested and ready to play. He also anticipates tweaking his line-up a little bit, making some adjustments as they’ll most like open against Southern Lehigh High School next Thursday.

Cowitch also said that he has some tricks up his sleeve, something he’s done with the boys team in their preparation for the postseason.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a win with it,” he said.