Last Wednesday, the Issaquah Varsity volleyball team beat rival Skyline High School in a hard-fought match of five sets. In volleyball, teams play until one team wins three sets. Although Issaquah lost the first set 22-25, they kept their momentum—especially offensively—and won the second and third sets 25-22 and 25-19, respectively. They lost the fourth set 25-27, but came back in the final set, scoring 17-15.

This match was likely one of the most challenging and persevering games Issaquah has played this season, especially due to Skyline’s strong offensive attacks. Issaquah struggled to defend many hits that were landing in the deep corners of the court. However, by the end of the game, Issaquah had made adjustments that helped them succeed. Outside hitter, senior Viviann Garcia said, “We were blocking line instead of angle, and that helped a lot. We just improved a bunch on everything.” Offensive was a huge strength in this game for Issaquah as well, particularly for Garcia. The outside hitter’s aggressive and hard-hitting attacks racked up a significant number of points for her team throughout the game, in the last set especially.

This was an important match for the Issaquah Eagles, and their victory was certainly rewarding. They lost their last game against Skyline on Sept. 21, and were determined to make a comeback. Middle blocker, sophomore Bridgette Philipsen attributes their victory to their outstanding energy and attitude, saying, “We really fought back and really wanted this win, so our energy was up, and our enthusiasm was good…. We came into this game knowing we could beat them, and we did!”

This game was also notable, as it was the Issaquah Volleyball program’s annual “Dig Pink” night, where the team spreads breast cancer awareness through decorating the gym with bright pink and fundraising for the Side-Out Foundation and their metastatic breast cancer research. The student section was packed on this special occasion, filled with thunderous, enthusiastic fans decked out in hot pink. Garcia was excited about the fan turnout: “It was motivating! Having that many fans is just exciting and very liberating,” she said. Head coach Tami Reese was thrilled about the turnout as well, sharing, “This is what high school volleyball is about. And we need [the fans] every time, this is why we play!”

Issaquah has two games left this season, with a home game against Bothell High School on Oct. 24 and an away game at Eastlake High School on Oct. 26. Come pack the stands next week and see what our Varsity volleyball team can do.