The Emmaus High School boys volleyball team had a tough ending to its regular season. The Green Hornets fell to rival Parkland in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference regular season finale last week, but concluded the year with a 13-4 overall record and 13-3 mark in the conference.

Still, Emmaus achieved one of its first goals in qualifying for the EPC playoffs, which began this week. The Green Hornets earned the fourth seed and took on Easton, the fifth seed.

“I’m proud of the season we had and accomplishing our goal of playing in the conference tournament,” said Hornet head coach Jeff Elsea. “The league was tough this season, every match was competitive, and we had to bring our best game each match. To be one of the few teams to qualify for the conference tournament is a great accomplishment.”

The regular season finale against the Trojans (15-4, 13-3) went the distance to five sets before Parkland finished it off 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 20-25 and 15-12 last Wednesday at Emmaus.

“It was just like a typical Emmaus-Parkland match,” Elsea said. “There were a lot of talented players on the court and a lot of great points on each side. They are a great team and so are we. I’m sure we’ll see them again down the line in the postseason so hopefully we can turn the result around.”

Elsea has had contributions from a number of different athletes this season, but he highlighted a couple of names that have stood out to him of late.

“Ben Maskiell and Noah Parker have really been the role models for the team and help keep everyone focused,” said Elsea. “Jamertic Harris is the powerhouse of the group which has always brought our intensity forefront. Lord Henry has been our go-to since Johnny Cannone has been injured and has not only risen to the test but has helped us when we needed it the most.”

Emmaus ended up falling to Easton in the quarterfinal round of the EPC tournament Monday night. The Green Hornets will now turn their focus to the District 11 Class 3A playoffs, which begin next week. They will look to bring back a district title for the first time since 2018.