On Oct. 17, The Issaquah Eagles took down the Bothell Cougars to improve their record to 13-3. This was a hard-fought match from both sides but Issaquah came out on top 3-0. Families and friends of the hard working players showed up to support the team in this match. Issaquah started off hot in the first set with a spike to score from sophomore Molly Yoshino. Junior Zoe Bloch set up a spike leading to an Eagles point. Senior Madyson McGrath had an amazing block to send the ball right back to Bothell for another Issaquah point. The Issaquah Eagles were able to finish out the first set 25-13 heading into the next set with confidence.
Looking for revenge, Bothell opens up the score book first but Issaquah quickly responds with a blocked spike from McGrath and senior Josefina Anguita Dominquez. The Eagles quickly pulled ahead with a spike from Anguita Dominquez to take the lead 7-6. Yoshino managed to score on not one, not two, not three, but four serves in a row for arguably the highlight of the game. Unlike the last set, Bothell kept the score in control but Issaquah still came out on top 25-17.
The Eagles head into the third set looking to close out the match with a 3-0 sweep. The Cougars, who were looking to stay alive, were going to make the Eagles work for every point. Senior Anna Ng scored off the serve to extend Issaquah’s lead to 9-4. Yoshino had another great play by making an outstanding block to keep the volley alive. The Eagles started to pull away 18-7 with many amazing plays. Ng serves the game-winning point to end the match 25-15. The Issaquah Eagles finish out the game with a clean sweep 3-0 against the Bothell Cougars in a very intense match.
After the match, the coach and the three team captains were interviewed about their performance. When asked how the community’s support helps the team, Head Coach Tami Reese said, “Everybody supports. If you don’t have the support, you don’t have the sport.” She also explained how the sport of volleyball is growing. She says, “Volleyball is getting bigger and bigger.” When player Casey Kot was asked how she thinks her team supports one another she explained that, “We try to talk a lot so that we know who is getting what ball.” She also added, “We support each other. If one person is struggling, we will support them and make sure that they are in a good head space.” Yoshino adds that the volleyball community is “like family and friends. We have a lot of families that come out and support us.” Issaquah is set to play at Woodinville next week as they try to keep the winning streak alive. Make sure to go and support our eagles!
