ROCHESTER — When the Vikings look back at how they played in the Subsection 1A West volleyball title match, they’ll probably feel like they let one slip away.

Hayfield had its chances, but it bowed out to top-seeded Faribault Bethlehem Academy by scores of 25-17, 25-23, 17-25, 25-15 in Mayo Civic Center Thursday.

Hayfield led the second game 16-11, but FBA rallied back to tie it at 23-23 before taking it. The Vikings (20-9 overall) looked good early on in the game and they led 18-15 before the Cardinals (18-12 overall) tallied seven straight points.

“Once they took a timeout they came back into the game and we went back into our funk,” said Hayfield junior Jo Bungum, who had six kills and 10 digs. “We just couldn’t put the ball down and we struggled with passing. We hit the ball out of bounds and if we didn’t do that, that game would’ve been ours.”

The Vikings led throughout in the third game, but Hayfield never led in the final game. FBA jumped out to a 16-8 lead and never looked back.

“We were thinking this was our year to make it past subsections, but a few things didn’t go well,” Bungum said. “Winning game three gave us confidence going into the fourth game, but we lost it right away.”

Hayfield’s Dani Wagner had 15 kills and 14 digs, Jessie Foster had six kills and 21 digs and Maggie Streightiff had eight kills, 18 set assists and 11 digs.

Hayfield head coach Jeremy Struck said it was tough for the Vikings to walk away with a loss, when they thought they had a good chance to win.

“This was an opportunity,” Struck said. “We felt like we could compete with them, but every time we let our guard down they came running through.”

Struck was pleased with how his first year as a head coach went with the Vikings.

“I got a talented group of strong athletes,” Struck said. “We were competitive in every match we played in. Every coach would want that.”

Hayfield stats: Dani Wagner, 15 kills, 3 blocks, 14 digs; Syd Tapp, 7 kills, 7 digs; Jo Bungum, 6 kills, 1 block, 10 digs; Maggie Streightiff, 8 kills, 3 blocks, 18 set assists, 11 digs; Jessie Foster, 6 kills, 17 set assists, 1 ace, 21 digs; Katelyn Bjornson, 2 kills, 2 blocks; Bhrett Zhanle, 14 digs, 1 ace