Turlock’s volleyball team finally made its way into the winner’s bracket last week against Buhach Colony High and for a moment it looked like the Bulldogs would repeat their success on Tuesday against Atwater High.

Turlock edged the Falcons out of the first set 25-21 with consistent passing and passionate play but failed to seize the next three as Atwater recovered to win 25-14, 25-10, and 25-21.

“Last week they decided they were just going to win,” Turlock’s head coach Amber Castillon said. “They fought so hard tonight but some players were just off.”

The decline in the passing game and a host of unforced errors proved to be too much for Turlock to overcome. Still, Castillon and her girls are looking forward to Thursday’s match with Golden Valley High as they continue to chase wins in a season that hasn’t gone as planned.

“We’re just going to get to practice and fix what was broken tonight,” Castillon said. “Their heart is where it needs to be; I know they can do it. Turlock is not giving up.”