Top-seeded Bryan swept Union 3-0 to win the Appalachian Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Friday.
Bryan won by scores of 25-20, 25-11 and 25-11.
"We played real hard this weekend, but perhaps we ran out of gas as the game-five victory right before the championship match may have taken its toll on the team," Union coach Jeremy Wise said. "I am proud of the turnaround the team made and how close they came to the championship and nationals. Hopefully, they enjoyed the journey and will come back next year ready to go to the next level."
Union finishes the 2013 season with a 26-9 overall record. The nine losses are the second fewest in program history. Union went 29-5 in 2009.
In the championship match, Bryan played like a team on a mission, jumping out to early leads in every set on its way to the championship.
Union battled hard in the opening set but was not able to rally for the win as Bryan collected the 25-20 win. The Lions dominated the next two sets, winning both by the identical score of 25-11 to complete the sweep.
Carolyn Evans, Taylor Fink and Kara Stamper were named to the All-Tournament Team. Evans was the tournament's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.
Stamper and Evans led the offense with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Evans hit an impressive .588 for the match. Chelsea Breaden notched 8 kills. Fink tallied 35 assists. Corrie Walker had a team high 8 digs. Fink and Stamper finished with 5 digs apiece.
Bryan defeated Reinhardt in the semi-finals 25-13, 25-15 and 25-19.
Bryan will play again on Saturday, Nov. 23. The 24-team pairings for the Volleyball National Championship Opening Round will be announced Monday at 1 p.m.