There are so many words that can be said to describe the Our Redeemer’s Christian School volleyball season.

For starters, congratulations are in order. While the Knights fell short of the goal they had been eyeing for a few years now – a state championship, there is nothing to be ashamed of in what was accomplished the past few seasons.

Not many teams will be able to say they went 82-7 over the last two seasons like the ORCS team did, including a 42-3 mark this season. There are also few teams that can say they have won three straight district and region titles.

Another word to describe the ORCS season is determined. Throughout the course of the District 12 regular season and tournament, the Knights were focused and determined to get back to the state tournament.

They stayed focused on the task at hand by sweeping every district rival they faced. That’s not meant as a knock on the rest of the district, that’s just how dominant the Knights were.

Even the best of teams had their bumps in the road. And the Knights had theirs this season. A three-game loss at North Star in September caught this sports writer by surprise, the only loss to a Class B team the Knights suffered until the state tournament title match.

Most teams would have let such a loss carry over, not the Knights. ORCS moved on about its business en route to securing the top overall seed in the state tournament.

Above all else, the thing I will remember the most from this team was the character of each player. The team was made up of such great and outstanding young ladies. I always enjoyed my time visiting with each and every one of them throughout the course of the season.

From my standpoint, I want to say thank you for always being so accommodating. You always made my job so much easier.

While the Knights didn’t win a state championship, that’s hardly the end of the road. Each member of the team has such a bright and promising future. Success is undoubtedly coming their way at some point in the future.

What lies ahead?

With six seniors set to graduate in the spring, and sophomore Cara Steede moving to Minnesota, it’s hard to say what the future holds for ORCS volleyball.

Certainly, District 12 will be wide open next year. Other schools will lose seniors to graduation as well. So who is the favorite to win the district and region next season? I’m not sure about that.

But it will be fun to find out.

This is the opinion of Mark Jones. He covers high school sports and general assignments. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJones27_MDN.