Another successful Airline season came to an end Saturday as the No. 16 seed Lady Vikings fell to No. 1 and five-time defending state champion Mt. Carmel 25-8, 25-15, 25-11 in the second round of the Division I playoffs in New Orleans.
Airline finished 24-16, the third straight season the Lady Vikings have won 20 or more matches. Airline was runner-up to Ruston in District 1.
Mt. Carmel (33-9), which was winning state titles before Airline had a volleyball program, will take on No. 8 St. Amant in the quarterfinals.
The loss ended the outstanding high school careers of seniors Gabriel Patronis and Tori Ligman.
They helped the Lady Vikings make history by becoming the Bossier Parish team to host a playoff game and win one in 2018. Airline duplicated that feat this season, defeating Chalmette at home in the first round.
Patronis, who plans to continue her career at Adams State College in Colorado, finished the regular season with 228 kills, 360 digs and 110 aces.
Ligman, who plans to continue her career at Centenary College, had 458 digs, 84 aces and 71 assists in the regular season.
While head coach Regina Digilormo will obviously miss Patronis and Ligman along with other seniors Sam Olea and Karleisha Carr, Airline should have another good team in 2020.
Among the underclassmen who contributed to the team’s success this season were junior Ariana Wilkinson, junior Elizabeth Gatti, sophomore Jacqueline Deville, junior Jaci Ervin and junior Lexi Danard.
