They weren’t playing horseshoes at Souhegan High School, so “close” didn’t count for the girls of Bedford High School’s volleyball team.

The Lady Bulldogs found themselves in the thick of a road contest against the Sabers but fell in straight sets, 25-21, 26-24 and 25-20.

Despite the loss, which dropped Bedford to 4-12 in its second varsity season, the Lady Bulldogs are still tied for 13th place in Division II and in position for a postseason trip.

In the first game of the match, Bedford found itself ahead, 16-15, and tied the score at 19-19 late, but the Sabers pulled away with the final four points to jump out to a 1-0 lead.

Bedford trailed by a single point late in the second game, but recaptured the lead, 24-23, and were in position to tie the match. Within the blink of an eye, the Sabers scored three consecutive points and took a commanding lead on the match.

“I do think part of that is inexperience,” said Bedford’s head coach, Emma Carole.

“But they’ve come a really long way, and the more experience they get, the better they’ll get at being able to get those points and finish games.”

For the third consecutive game Bedford found itself with a late lead and was unable to finish, as Souhegan retook the lead and finished off the match after the Lady Bulldogs grabbed a 20-18 advantage.

Despite the loss, Carole is still excited to see her team readying itself for a potential playoff match.

“For them to be going to the playoffs in their second year as a team, it’s quite an impressive feat,” said Carole. “It means the world to me, and for how much they’ve given themselves to the program, it’s really incredible for them.”

Demi Bennett played a solid game at middle blocker for Bedford, while Becky Gossling also chipped in for the Lady Bulldogs in the loss.

Bedford closed out the season with a 3-0 loss vs. St. Thomas on Friday, Oct. 24, and heads to the playoffs as the No. 15 seed in the Division II tournament.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing us there,” said Carole.