Skyline volleyball loses heartbreaker
November 9, 2008
By Christopher Huber
It came down to the final set. Issaquah and Skyline had each battled from behind numerous times throughout the night and were tired.
The match was tied at 2-2 and Issaquah was down 5-1, but it rallied with five straight points, made the Spartans miss at critical moments and never looked back.
Before an energized and deafening crowd at the Skyline gym, the Issaquah Eagles took set five 15-12 and prevailed 3-2 in the KingCo 4A District Tournament match that guaranteed the winner goes to state.
“I’m so excited,” Issaquah outside hitter Stephanie Jones said after the fans stormed the court. “My whole body is filled with success and I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”
Jones had quite a night Thursday against the Skyline Spartans volleyball team. Tallying 10 kills, five blocks and five aces in five nerve-wracking sets. In the second set, she served for eight straight points.
It was also her 18th birthday.
“Nothing compares to this night,” Jones said after the match. “It was the most exciting game experience.”
Both teams came into the match 9-2 in conference play, with Issaquah winning just one more game than Skyline overall this season. And the fierce back-and-forth competition that played out Thursday was a testament to both team’s alertness and front-line strength.
“Issaquah is such a tough team to play because they present such a big block,” Skyline head coach Mark Peterson said of the Eagles’ power at the net. “They did a really good job of adjusting their blocks.”
Skyline came out strong in the first set, with outside hitters Maddie Magee and Emily Hutchings posing a legitimate threat to the Eagles. Although the Issaquah student section controlled the noise factor, the Lady Spartans lit up their fan base after taking a quick 8-1 lead.
Skyline went up 16-10 and Issaquah battled back to 24-20 but gave Skyline the set on a bad serve on set point.
The second set seemed to belong to whichever team was serving. Most of each team’s respective points came when it was serving and Skyline controlled the tempo for the first part. Skyline’s Magee — a freshman — and senior Hutchings each maintained their up front prowess, making Issaquah miss a few critical points.
After the set was tied 9-9, Issaquah took off with help from sophomore Rachel Roeder’s powerful kills. Issaquah took the second match 25-16 on a few Skyline mental mistakes.
The third began with Skyline jumping out to another early lead. After going up 5-1, the Spartans maintained the lead with a consistently strong left-side attack. It led 10-8 but Issaquah’s Jones shifted the momentum with clutch blocks and un-returnable kills. The Eagles rallied to tie the set at 11 and from there, held the lead to win 25-20.
That put the pressure on Skyline, which battled back in the fourth to win 25-20 and tie the match at 2-2.
And despite Skyline taking yet another early lead in the fifth, Issaquah proved to be more determined and focused.
“It’s just a great rivalry we’ve got here,” Issaquah coach Todd Parsons said. “It came down to: We were able to get some serve pressure. We got a little more, in the end, than they did.”
Issaquah’s Kayla Schwisow had 27 digs, Riley Sorenson produced 37 assists and four aces and Rachel Roeder had 12 kills and 10 digs Thursday.
“I tell the girls, ‘want the ball and swing hard every time,’” Parsons said. “They fired great kills and some great serves from the line.”
Skyline’s Hutchings led all players with 21 kills, while Magee came up with 16 kills. Sam Sanghvi contributed 49 assists, 10 digs and 5 aces for the Spartans.
The win secures Issaquah a spot in the state tournament, which begins Nov. 21. But the Eagles must play Bothell for the KingCo 4A Championship title Thursday at 7 p.m. at Bothell.
Skyline must beat Newport Tuesday to stay alive in the playoffs.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or at chuber@isspress.com.
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