The season came to an end for Washington Demon volleyball last night with a defeat at Davenport Assumption in the Class 3A Region 5 semifinals.

Washington hung right in with the sixth-ranked team in the state early, tying the first set at 13, but a 9-4 run put Assumption on top on their way to winning the opening frame 25-20.

The Knights would take a 6-2 lead to start the second set and never looked back, going on to win 25-12. The Demons again kept things close in the third set, at one point taking a 13-12 lead. But Assumption finished the set and the match on a 13-2 run, winning the third frame 25-15 for a straight-sets victory.

Washington was led by six kills and one serving ace from junior Leighton Messinger, while senior Ella Greiner posted five kills and sophomore Layla Green had four. Senior setter Lauren Hinrichsen picked up an ace to go with 14 assists distributed as the Demons finish the year with a record of 18-16.

It’s the first winning season for Washington since 2007, and head coach Aaron Six credited the program’s turnaround to his seniors when he joined KCII Sports after the game.

“We have elevated the play and made these games so that we are competitive with state-level teams,” Six said. “It is a great contribution from those seniors. [I am] extremely proud of those girls [for] everything that they have done and just the fight that they bring each and every night.”

The Demons’ departing seniors include Greiner, Hinrichsen, Rachel Sands, Ruby Witthoft, Isabella Salazar, Maya Murphy, Angeline Rubalcada, Jade Sheetz and Claire Robinson.