MONTGOMERY — Straughn suffered a hard 3-0 loss to 10th-ranked Trinity Presbyterian in the first round of the Class 3A South Super Regional Friday.

The Lady Tigers came out and displayed an eager and ambitious fight against the Wildcats of Montgomery in the early going and played one of their best games in the 17-25, 26-28, 17-25 defeat.

Throughout the contest, SHS matched Trinity serve-for-serve and point-for-point.

As SHS volleyball coach Daniel Rodgers put it, Trinity was one of the best teams the Lady Tigers have competed against this year.

“They’re very talented and tough,” Rodgers said. “I thought we played — especially in that second game — I thought was the best game we’ve played all year. I was so proud of them.

“With us losing that second one, it just kind of took the wind out of our sails,” he said.

During the second game, Rodgers reminded the girls that Trinity plays a lot like Providence Christian Academy out of Dothan.

“They made some mistakes, but we started attacking; we started being aggressive and with us being aggressive, we played well,” he said.

Straughn came back from a 5-10 deficit, cut the set to 13-15 and tied it at 19-19 later on in the second.

A lot of this for the Lady Tigers was due to excellent blocking in the front and matching their service game with Trinity’s.

The 19-19 tie came on a Derriunna Gantt block, and Straughn later cut the lead again to 21-23 on a Jacie Williamson kill.

SHS pushed the ball to the back side of the court to tie at at 24-24, took leads of 25-24 and 26-25 in a back and forth few points.

On a serving error, Trinity took a 27-26 lead and served out for the game, and essentially the match.

“I thought we played extremely well,” Rodgers said. “We just ran out of gas.”

The Lady Tigers finished their season 14-12.

Rodgers, who finished his first year at the helm of the program, said he couldn’t have been more happy with the girls’ grit this year.

“Coming in, we (SHS assistant coach Joseph Carter and I) didn’t know what to expect, really,” Rodgers said. “I’m proud of our girls. They never caved; they never quit.

“I hate it for our seniors, but I am excited about the things to come,” he said. “Coach Carter and I, we’ve learned some things that hopefully will build on to the program here. This was a great season, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”