It’s all over for the Brandon University women’s volleyball team this season.

In an interview with the Journal early last month, head coach Lee Carter wished for his team to accomplish more than what the BU men’s volleyball team did a year ago (men’s volleyball team won Brandon’s first ever CIS bronze medal).

Unfortunately for Carter, his lofty goal for his team went up in flames recently when the Bobcats lost to the Regina Cougars two games to none in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal late last month.

It was a crushing defeat for a team that finished with a program best 13-7 regular season record, and at one point, were seeded in the top five in the country (finished tied for seventh).

“It’s our best record ever so we should be really excited about how we’re still moving forward,” said Carter. “But we did have high expectations such as getting to the final four and reaching nationals, so not reaching our goal kind of takes away a little of the positive vibe.”

The Bobcats’ were considered a national championship contender for most of the season due to the fact the team was returning most of its roster from a year ago. Other than middle Ashley Creighton, who graduated and was seen playing with the Canadian national team this year, and left-side Crystal Cornish, who left the team for personal reasons, most of the squad was left intact and ready to make another playoff run.

So what went wrong? Rewind the clock to the Bobcats’ last two contests of the regular season: Two home games against the Cougars. If the ’Bobcats won both games, it would not have had to travel to Regina to face a raucous Cougar crowd for its postseason match-up. The Bobcats wound up splitting the weekend series with the Cougars and ended up playing on the road come playoff time. To make matters worse, BU Gym was kind to the ’Cats this season. The team was 7-3 at home.

Home court advantage or not, Carter says the Bobcats’ just ran into a Cougars team, that had their number.

“I don’t think it was what went wrong for us. I think it was more of what they did right,” said Carter. “I think Regina was so well prepared to play us and it’s just one of those things where they just had everything going that weekend.

“We played our hearts out, they just seemed to have an answer for everything.”

Carter says he wished his club advanced in the postseason so players like Erin Visch-Krahn, this year’s starting middle and right-side Nicole Ban could experience the thrill of playing for a national title. Both players have played their last games in a Bobcat uniform.

“They helped us become one of the top 10 programs in Canada,” said Carter. “We really wanted to take it one step further so that they were able to experience that.

“When we do get there, it’s going to be because of them,” said Carter. “They, along with others, were a big part in building this program to what it is today. They may not be on the floor with us next year, but we’re going to be playing for them next season.”

Despite the fact it’s only been a short while since the heartbreaking playoff loss, Carter is optimistic with the club’s outlook for next season.

“We’re still going to be one of the older teams in terms of experience,” said Carter. I think next year is going to be even better than this year.”

For Carter, the Bobcats’ and its fans, time will most certainly tell the story.