A win in the first round of the Section 1AAA playoffs wasn’t a stretch for the Albert Lea volleyball team heading into a matchup with John Marshall Wednesday in Rochester, but the Tiger team that defeated the Rockets Oct. 8 was nowhere to be found.

Eighth-seeded John Marshall rocked ninth-seeded Albert Lea in the first set 25-9 and the Tigers were never able to mount a comeback effort as they dropped the next two sets 25-17 and 25-19.

“We definitely could have won this one, but we weren’t ready to play,” said Albert Lea head coach Jaime Mauseth.

Albert Lea (8-19) earned a 27-25, 30-28, 17-25, 22-25, 15-12 victory over the Rockets earlier this month for its first conference victory outside of tournament play, but communication breakdowns cost the Tigers a chance to move on and face No. 1 seed Century.

Kristine Kelly led Albert Lea with 21 digs and three kills while Bethany Sekora, Sarah Heijerman and London Avery all had two kills.

“It’s just really too bad the season had to end this way,” Mauseth said.

The Tigers showed marked improvement over last season in Mauseth’s first year as head coach and it will give her something to build from as the team regroups from losing seven seniors.