The Baldwin girls volleyball team thought their season had ended with a loss to Peters Township on Thursday, but the next day learned that they made the playoffs.

This will be the first time since 2019 the Highlanders are competing in WPIAL playoffs.

Senior Morgan O’Brien was excited after learning they made the playoffs.

“It felt rewarding to know all of the changes we had to endure and adapt to this season actually paid off,” she said.

The team’s first-round playoff game will be on the road against Seneca Valley at 7:30 pm.

As for last Thursday’s final regular-season game, O’Brian said the match had a different feel from others at the start, since the team thought a playoff bid rested on the results.

“Our enthusiasm kind of diminished throughout the game,” she said. “It came back towards the end as it continued to get more intense.”

She felt that senior Emmalyn Longo helped the team a lot during the game. 

“She played really nice defense and really kept us in the game,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said the seniors only realized what the game meant to them afterward.

“It felt more bittersweet to us seniors,” she said. “We realized it would be our last time playing in the Baldwin gym.”