Eastlake volleyball heads to KingCo finals after defeating Lake Washington
In a thrilling showdown on Tuesday night, Eastlake High School’s varsity volleyball team secured a spot in the KingCo Conference finals by defeating Lake Washington in a 3-set match.
The first set started off with Eastlake’s Ella Neubauer serving, quickly establishing momentum for the Wolves. Through well-placed spikes that targeted open areas on the court, Eastlake edged out Lake Washington with an early lead of 12-8. However, the Kangaroos’ Katea Palefau fought back, finding gaps in Eastlake’s defense, only for Eastlake’s libero, Zoe Pound, to skillfully dig out several of her powerful hits. Finley Johnson contributed to Eastlake’s score with back-to-back spikes, pushing the team to 24-21. The first set closed on a high note for Eastlake as a long rally ended with a block by Kylie McCartney, ending the set, 25-21.
“We started with a winning losing game but we have been on a 13-game win streak so we are going to keep strong,” Neubauer, 18, said.
In the second set, Lake Washington responded with intensity. Neubauer’s opening serve was met with a powerful line hit by Palefau. The two teams were head to head with each other, almost tied at every point. Lake Washington’s Georgia Terell and Ella Bobrowicz came up with powerful hits and blocks that made Eastlake fumble at the net to give them the lead, 11-9. Soon, Eastlake responded with a right side hit by Sydney Ort that tied the score, 18-18. Playing neck in neck on each point, Johnson knew that Eastlake needed to earn more points by not targeting Lake Washington’s libero, Alyssa McMaster. So, with the help of high sets by Ali Phillips, Johnson slammed the ball right in the middle of the Kangaroos, ending the second set of the night on a close call, 24-22.
The final set saw Eastlake build on their previous success. Starting with a serve from Neubauer, Johnson quickly executed the first spike, setting an aggressive pace. Eastlake’s offense proved challenging for Lake Washington’s defense as the Wolves’ strong hits stretched the score to 17-8. Neubauer extended the lead with a serving streak, including an ace that brought the score to 19-11. As Lake Washington tried serve-receive strategies such as putting four players to pass instead of three, the team struggled to counter the combined efforts of Eastlake seniors Johnson, McCartney, and Neubauer. Ultimately, Eastlake claimed the final set and the match, securing their place in the finals.
“Our team had kept the energy the entire night and by doing this, it improves our game,” Johnson, 18, said.
“We just try to remind them about something that they have practiced on and then the points come after that,” head coach Michael Knapick said.
Eastlake Volleyball will face their cross-town rival Skyline on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. at Lake Washington High School.
