The fourth and final game was particularly excruciating for the Wolverines, as they built a 22-14 lead only to see Mio's Kim Passmore serve out the final 10 points of the match.

“I'm getting tired of saying that we played real well, BUT we lost,” AGS coach Jeri Christie said. “Just couldn't finish this one. No one particular reason: a few missed serves, a few hard-to-handle hits (from Mio's Tracy Sheffer), a few mental errors and some net fouls.

“The pieces for a really great team are here – we just have to be able to put them together consistently.”

The Wolverines seemed to have the Thunderbolts back on their heels in several stretches, particularly in the first game, when they were able to feed Angela Porn on the outside for several kills that helped AGS build a narrow lead that it was able to maintain. But on several occasions, they were stuck against a Mio rotation that featured the 6'2” Sheffer on the front line, and dug themselves into holes from which they couldn't escape.

The Wolverines couldn't sustain their momentum through to the second game, scoring consecutive points just once in the 16-25 loss – when they narrowed a 3-11 deficit to 7-11. Sheffer made her presence known in the third game with a series of spikes and tips that spurred a 19-9 Mio run to finish the game.

The Wolverines were on the verge of evening the match at 2-2 after Tasha Dewald served for eight consecutive points, including three that ended with Jodi Bilacic kills. Bilacic and Porn controlled the net until a net serve returned the serve to Mio. A couple of AGS errors gave the momentum back to the Thunderbolts: Sheffer picked up a couple of kills, Passmore recorded an ace and the Wolverines were unable to regain the momentum they'd lost.

Leading the Wolverines were Bilacic with 9 kills and 1 block; Cypher with 8 digs; Jamie Taylor with 23 assists; and Angela Porn with 2 aces. Cypher, Taylor, Jessica Schwiderson and Charisse Morris each served with 100 percent efficiency.

“I'm continually amazed at the perseverance and determination of this team,” Christie said. “We put up a good fight; next time we'll win the battle.”

Mio improved to 5-0 in North Star League play, while the Wolverines dropped to 2-7-3 overall, 2-3 NSL.