Skyline defeats Mercer Island in a riveting four sets
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Skyline Spartan girls’ volleyball team defeated the Mercer Island Islanders in an exciting four-set match at Skyline High School.
Mercer Island started strong, but it was not long before the Spartans settled in and took the lead on a shot from Emma Gutke. Continuing the momentum, the Spartans scored five points in a row with back-to-back aces from Tessa Reed.
The Islanders fought hard, nearly tying the set on a tip from Sarah Gribble, but the visitors could not find the holes in the Spartan defense. An ace from Sanika Vipin closed the first set, 25-21, for a Skyline win.
An early momentum reversal from the first set to the second found the Islanders with the 12-8 lead. But the Spartans quickly regrouped, tying the score, 14-14.
With four unanswered points, Skyline jettisoned into the lead, 18-14. Play continued point-for-point for the remainder of the set with the Spartans edging out the back-and-forth lead. A well-placed tip from Reed sealed the deal, 25-22, for a second Skyline win, putting the Spartans ahead, 2-0.
Mercer Island needed the next set to stay alive. Tensions mounted heading into the third set for the Islanders, but the Spartans showed no mercy. A blocked shot from Georgia Eden and a spike from Gutke added to the Spartan 17-9 advantage. It looked like the Islanders would soon be going home.
Unwilling to throw in the towel, a point from Aikum Bains sparked the Islanders, who went on to score seven unanswered points with help from Kate Holland and Reese Middlebrook. An ace from Gribble tied the set, 18-18. Mercer Island breathed new life into the match.
The ball continued to drop in the Islanders’ favor. A final spike from Bains was the exclamation point Mercer Island needed to end the set, 25-20, Mercer Island.
Undeterred and ready to claim a victory, the Spartans made quick work of the next set. An ace from Carly Maginnis and a pair of commanding spikes from Reed and Gutke added to the Skyline score for a significant 18-8 lead. With little energy left to answer from the Islanders, Sam Oberg sealed the deal with an ace for the Spartans and a 25-15 win for Skyline.
The Islanders fought hard and played well but came up short as the Spartans took the match for an exciting 3-1 victory.
“I think we created success by keeping our energy up and communicating really well…We gave ourselves a lot of chances to score and kept rallies alive,” Gutke said of the win.
“Players responded to the occasion and executed the game plan really well,” Coach Eddie said.
Looking ahead to the post-season, he added, “We had really good, tough, non-league games in September that we feel helped us to be ready for playoffs.”
The Skyline Spartans hosted the first and second round of the KingCo tournament that began Nov. 1 at Skyline High School.
