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Urbana High's volleyball team fell 3-1 to Anne Arundel County's Broadneck in the Class 4A semifinals Wednesday evening at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum in College Park.

And while the Hawks' first trip to the state playoffs was brief, it signified a coming of age for the program.

Broadneck will look to win its third consecutive state title Saturday against Col. Zadok Magruder High of Rockville.

"I'm just ecstatic with the way these girls have performed over the season," said Urbana head coach Claudia Lapcevich, whose team lost 22-25, 25-14, 21-25, 18-25. "They have taken our program to the next level."

The Hawks (14-4) had trouble protecting leads throughout the match. They led during each of the first three games, but only once managed to exploit an advantage, putting Broadneck (16-2) away in the second game to momentarily even the match.

"The one game they played their game it was 25-14," Lapcevich said of her girls. "I think its just really clear when they put their minds to it, they can beat anybody."

Returning to the court, senior Morgan Snow allotted the Hawks a 12-7 lead on a kill midway through the pivotal third session. The strike forced Broadneck head coach Scott Graf to burn a timeout as Urbana, which was supported by students with painted faces and a charter bus full of fans, appeared primed to make a push for a second straight game.

But it was not to be. Failing to capitalize on the momentum, Urbana found itself tied 14-14 after a 7-2 Bruins run. The Hawks fought back, going ahead 18-15, but once again squandered a lead, as Broadneck regrouped and took the fourth game.

Faced with match point, seniors Morgan Kent and Mariel Schofield helped the Hawks stave off elimination, albeit briefly, with a pair of kills. However, the Bruins would not be denied, clinching the contest on Urbana's 12th service error of the night.

"That was out biggest problem tonight, we just couldn't finish," Kent said. "We'd always get a good start, but never finish."

Schofield, a Division-I recruit who's considering both the University of Miami (Fla.) and Maryland, paced Urbana with 11 kills and 13 digs. Kent tallied 13 kills while Kayla Wilkinson had 28 assists. Christie Stanko added 10 digs.

"It's been magical, it really has been," Lapcevich said. "I feel like we can't even bow our heads down because we should be extremely proud of what we accomplished this year."

Broadneck's Kourtney Salvarola was a thorn in the Hawks' side all night. The senior outside hitter reeled off 11 of her match-high 14 kills during the final two games.

"Once she started hitting we just weren't prepared," Kent said. "Compared to the other teams we played, we came across nothing like her. She was great."