The Hemet girls volleyball team saw its season come to an end Tuesday evening as it was swept by nationally ranked San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 25-9, 25-18, 25-14, in the opening round of the CIF State Division 3 playoffs.
Cathedral Catholic (32-4), ranked No.19 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com , used its height to overwhelm the Bulldogs. Morgan Cormier and Kristen Witous, both of whom stand 6 feet tall, led the Dons with 10 kills apiece.
Hemet (22-6) had a handful of leads in the early moments of the second game, and the Bulldogs were tied with the Dons at 17. Cathedral Catholic seized control, however, and closed out the game with an 8-1 run.
Cathedral Catholic reached the Division 3 title game last season, and the Dons are the top-seeded team in the Southern California region this season.
Briana Williams and Shelbi Skinner had four kills apiece to Hemet, which captured a second straight CIF Southern Section Division 4 title last week.
Hemet will have five returning starters next season, but the Bulldogs likely will be moved up to a higher division because of their back-to back section championships.