On Wednesday, Oct. 12th, Issaquah’s C-Team volleyball claimed their 3-0 victory against Skyline, adding to their now 10-win streak. The team started the first set with enthusiasm and a high spirit, earning a solid 25-18 by the end with great serves from freshmen Vivian Yi and Jadyn Laranang. The second set had a bumpy start where the girls had to put in more effort to pull ahead. Using their cohesive teamwork and communication, the team closed with a substantial gap, winning 25-13. Finally, the game ended with a win for the third set, maintaining Issaquah’s consistent performance with solid saves from freshman Hailey Brown and exciting work from freshman Erin Chollman. One highlighting player for the night’s game was freshman Brooke Marshall. She had powerful hits and took every open opportunity to score. Being resourceful and having overall awareness were the main factors in dominating Skyline.

Upon reflection, the team was happy with their performance and proud of each other. The girls gained experience from playing Skyline before and thought they managed to channel it into another victory. Freshman Irene Lee says, “We have already won against [Skyline] before, but the second set last time was close, so we wanted to get this game done and play cleanly.” Tonight’s game also meant trying new things for the volleyball team. Formations were mixed in the third set, with some players playing positions they had never played. Freshman Maria Marquez is one player who experienced this change. Marquez says, “I was nervous at first, but it was fun.” She explains she wants to improve at hitting straight down and serving but feels that she did a good job adjusting today.

Speaking of improvement, winning a game does not mean the C-Team will stop striving for greatness. One fairly new addition to the team is Assistant Coach Al Lowe, who witnessed the team’s progression. Lowe explains, “They have improved so much since the beginning. Every practice, we get better and better at becoming a complete team. We’re working on hitting, coverage, and overall skills.” The girls’ hard work and effort will hopefully continue to reflect on the court.

Outside of gaining a win for Issaquah, tonight was particularly impactful as all volleyball teams and spectators went pink-out to raise awareness of breast cancer and the SideOut foundation’s program “Dig Pink.” Monetary donations for the program will go towards metastatic breast cancer research. If interested, visit https://side-out.org/donate/ to donate and make a difference today!