IOWA CITY — The Ottumwa Bulldog volleyball team gave it all their might, but came up short in Class 4A, Region 8 semifinal Thursday night in Iowa City.

The Bulldogs (24-12) were swept by second-ranked Iowa City West 25-13, 25-16 and 25-17 – but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort.

“The girls played very well,” said OHS first-year head coach Jessica Carson. “We gave it our all and never gave up.”

West (34-1) has been considered by some to be the favorite to win the Class 4A state championship and is led by Jessica Gehrke, an all-state performer who will play at Florida International next year.

The Women of Troy play Pleasant Valley in the regional final on Tuesday in Tipton. The winner advances to the state tournament.

West’s stellar reputation may have been a factor early on for the Bulldogs.

“We came out nervous and it showed,” said Carson.

The Bulldogs serving stats proved what Carson may have suspected. As a team the Bulldogs went 33-42 with just one single ace. That ace came from senior Courtney Klyn, who also went 6-6 serving and added 16 digs to her season statistics.

Peyton Crosser, just a sophomore, registered a team-leading 13 kills on the night.

“Playing against a team as good as Iowa City West, you can’t afford to miss many serves,” said Carson.

Ottumwa graduates just three seniors — Klyn, Victoria Swanstrom and Marissa Barton.

“Losing just three seniors, we should be able to be just as good, if not better next year,” said Carson.

Class 4A, Region 8 semifinal

at Iowa City