San Bernardino Valley College's women's volleyball team has had a rough go of it over the last 16 years. The team had not had a winning season since 2005, and had not won a conference championship or made the postseason since 2006.

So, despite Saturday's four-set loss to Pasadena City College in the first-round of the California Community College Athletic Associaiton playoffs, there is a lot for the Wolverines to build on as the program looks to return to glory.

SBVC won a share of the Inland Empire Athletic Conference championship, tying Mt. San Jacinto for the top spot in the conference with identical 11-1 records (each team defeating the other on the other team's home court). Outside hitter Manaia Mamea was the conference co-Most Valuable Player, finishing the regular season in the top 10 in the state for kills. And the team was well-represented on the all-conference team, with Loleaulelei Mamea and Itzana Rojas being named the first team.

The Wolverines earned the 20th seed in the playoff bracket, drawing No. 13 Pasadena City in the opening round on Saturday. SBVC fell behind, losing the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-20. But in the third set, the Wolverines went on a run. Jae Peterson came off the bench to serve with the Wolverines leading 13-10 and she ran off seven straight points - three of them on service aces - to open a 20-10 lead that the Wolverines would finish off with a 25-15 set win.

In the fourth set, the Wolverines carried the momentum to a five-point lead at one point in the set. Up 23-19 late, Pasadena's Makayla Chiechi served the game out for the Lancers, including four aces in the final six points to end the game.

Lole Mamea led the way for the Wolverines on attack, finishing the game with a game-high 22 kills, while Manaia Mamea ended with 17 kills. The Wolverines as a team converted on 20.6 percent of their attacks, outhitting the Lancers in the game. But the service line played a role, as Pasadena finished with 13 aces and nine service errors, where SBVC had nine aces and 13 service errors.

With a team full of freshmen, the future looks bright for the Wolverines and coach Robert Vansant. Manaia Mamea finished the season with 354 kills - four off the school record in a single season of rally scoring set in 2002 by Ashley Esqueda. Lole Mamea wasn't far behind her sister with 334 kills, good for fourth best in a single season in school history. As a team, the Wolverines converted 21.4 percent of their attacks on the season, while limiting opponents to only 15.1 percent.