Spartans fell to Issaquah Eagles in exciting four-set volleyball match
On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Skyline Spartan girls’ volleyball team faced the Issaquah Eagles in a four-set match that ended with an Eagles victory.
Scoring first, Issaquah took the early lead, 2-0. After a missed serve by Zoe Bloch, Skyline saw their first opportunity and reversed the lead, 8-4. With well anticipated blocks from Emma Gutke and Piper Hawryluk, Skyline easily took the first set, 25-10.
Clawing back after the first set loss, the Eagles met the Spartans point for point throughout the second set, tying the score at 7-7 and again at 18-18. A pair of aces from Issaquah’s Molly Yoshino broke the stalemate to advance the Eagles 21-18. With momentum on their side, Bryn Walcott added a pair of powerful spikes to help deliver the second set, 25-20, for the Eagles.
With both teams claiming a set, the battle was on. This time, the Spartans took the early lead, 7-3, advancing on key shots from Carly Maginnis as well as Gutke.
Unwilling to give up, Issaquah added to the board with points from Walcott and Yoshino to bridge the gap, 12-9, Skyline. Continuing the trend, the Eagles managed to surge for a 15-15 tie on a Yoshino ace. The energetic battle continued with another tie, 18-18.
Once again, the Eagles relied on Yoshino to turn things around. A pair of well-placed shots gave Issaquah the advantage and the momentum needed to close the third set, 25-22. The Eagles had a 2-1 set advantage after three sets.
If Skyline took the next set, the match would be forced to go to a fifth set to determine a winner. Despite exhaustion, the Spartans were determined to try. The teams battled back and forth, exchanging the lead but came to another gridlock at 12-12.
Unfortunately for Skyline, the energy shifted in Issaquah’s favor and the Eagles jumped ahead, 20-17. Strategic shots from Maginnis and Gutke briefly closed the divide to 21-20 but in the end, a final shot from Yoshino sealed their fate and the Spartans fell, 25-21, in four sets to the Issaquah Eagles.
When asked about the match, Gutke said, “I think at times we lost focus on the little things, like communication and staying consistent … Next time we’ll make sure to emphasize talking more on the court and keeping a positive mindset after mistakes.”
The Skyline Spartans play the Bothell/Inglemoor Cougars on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at Skyline High School.
