The Arcata Tigers challenged the top seeds in the North Coast Section Division-IV volleyball playoffs on Saturday night, but were unable to pull out the upset, falling in three sets.

The Tigers lost to Cardinal Newman 25-20, 25-19, 26-24, but came close to taking the third set, giving the Cardinals all they could handle.

The wins sends the Cardinals on to next week’s NCS semifinals, while the Tigers see a memorable season come to an end.

The Arcata girls dominated the rest of the North Coast, posting a perfect 8-0 record on the way to a Big 5 championship.

The Tigers, who finished the season 24-8, dropped just one set in league play and won their NCS opener at home to St. Mary’s in straight sets on Thursday night.

Maya Mircetich closed out a stellar senior campaign with 10 kills in Saturday’s loss, while teammate Avery Thornburgh had five kills.

Cardinal Newman improved to 26-5.