Bakersfield College’s volleyball team was defeated in the first round of the 2011 California Community College Athletic Association’s Women’s Volleyball Championship playoff at the hands of Pasadena City College.

PCC swept the Renegades 25-19, 30-28 and 25-22 in the Nov. 22 match in Pasadena.

The two teams rarely were more than two points apart through the first two sets with PCC pulling away from BC in the third set.

The disappointment, though, comes with the hopes of success for next season.

The team will see freshmen Megan Black and Brittany Smith back next year. The two players led the team in kills and blocks.

The Renegades will see their assist leader Erica Rico move on. Rico averaged 9.34 assists per game through the season.

Black had 202 kills (.348 kill percentage) and 46 blocks with just 48 errors. Smith accompanied Black along the front line all year and finished with 193 kills, 50 blocks and just 59 errors.

The Renegades finished their regular season off with a sweep against West Los Angeles College 25-15, 25-15 and 25-12 in the Gil Bishop Sports Center on Nov. 17.

Coach Carl Ferreira is encouraged by what he sees from his team mentally, how they finished the season, and what the team will look like in 2012.

“We’re in a very healthy stage,” Ferreira said. “I’ve tried to develop a lot of internal leadership and at this stage we’re extremely healthy from the inside out, which means the nucleus and the core of the whole team is real powerful, real strong, and they’ve got their eyes dead set on what they want to accomplish.”