They were running out of achievements to save for next year.

The Roadrunner' women's volleyball team checked a lot of boxes during the 2019 season, including the program's first Garden State Athletic Conference championship just a few weeks ago.

Carrying a school record 14-5 record into the Region XIX championship against Raritan Valley Community College, the Roadrunners' magical season finally ended at the hands of the Lions. Raritan Valley took the three-set match, 25-21, 25-11, 25-20 on Saturday at Bucks County Community College.

"We made it way farther that we thought we would go," said sophomore Taylor Caldas, a former Gloucester Catholic standout. "(The season) was rough in the beginning because we didn't know the chemistry. But to make it this far, is pretty amazing for us."

The Roadrunners started the season 1-4 and reeled off 13 wins over their next 14 matches, including an 11-game winning streak entering Saturday's showdown. The winning streak began with a 3-1 victory over Raritan Valley on September 7 to split the season series. Those same Lions proved to be a handful in the Region championship as the 'Runners fell victim to a slow start on the big stage.

"I was super proud of them before we even got here," Roadrunners coach Rebecca Pierson said. "The final is a whole different game. Raritan was here last year and lost. They have a large group of sophomores that went through losing last year so they had that extra fire in them to win."

The Roadrunners will attempt to follow that same blueprint. Aside from Caldas, the entire team is eligible to return next year. They too, will have the experience – and likely the fire.

"We're going to keep on going," said freshman setter Domonique Marcano a Gloucester Institute of Technology grad. "We only have one sophomore, which is sad that we'll lose her. But we hope everyone else comes back out."

Raritan Valley took the first nine points in the opening set and led 16-4, before the Roadrunners stages a furious comeback to get within a point at 20-19. But the Lions closed out the set 25-21. Raritan Valley carried the momentum to a 25-11 win in the second stanza and led 12-5 in the third set before another Roadrunners' rally, once again closing the gap to a single point at 15-14. The veteran Lions prevailed 25-20 and took home their prize.

Disappointed but not distraught, the Roadrunners could finally take a step back and appreciate the incredible season they pieced together.

"I had high expectations, but I think they outplayed my high expectations," Pierson said. "They won their conference, they made it here. And that's big for the girls and big for me, but it's even bigger for the program."

Preview

The Roadrunner women's volleyball team will meet Raritan Valley Community College Saturday afternoon at 2 pm to play for the Region XIX Division III Tournament championship.

Both teams will be playing against each other for the third time this season, splitting the first two matches. The Runners, under coach Rebecca Pierson, shared the Garden State Athletic Conference title this fall and edged Ocean County in five sets in an opening round Region playoff game at Rowan University last Saturday.

The Runners enter the contest with a 14-5 overall record following the best regular season in school history.

The winner advances to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament.

GAME DAY INFORMATION

Raritan Valley CC at RCSJ-Gloucester
Movember 2, 2019
Match time: 2:00 pm

Hosted by:
Bucks County Community College

Coaches:
Rebecca Pierson, RCSJ Gloucester
Phil Herro, Raritan Valley

Records:
Roadrunners: 14-5 overall
Raritan Valley CC: 18-5 overall