2020 Bellevue Wolverine Volleyball Recaps
Match 1 - 3/8 vs Newport
Welcome back to BHS Volleyball!!! After a much too long and much anticipated start to the Bellevue’s volleyball season, Bellevue Volleyball walked away with one win and two losses. Parents were masked, spread out, and watching from the stands while friends and family streamed the event. The Varsity team got a great start to the season with a strong showing against Newport High School, winning in three straight sets.
The 1st Set started in Newport’s favor, but sophomore and newcomer, Nyah Taylor turned it all around with the first kill and changed the momentum, she continued the match with 9 more kills. Then sophomore and newcomer, Jada Cho had her first BHS Varsity kill of the season. The momentum continued with sophomore and OH, Brooke Huard who was unstoppable with 7 straight aced serves and multiple kills. They dominated the set winning 25-13.
The 2nd Set began with an Ace from Senior and team captain, Mia Vong. Mia also led with 18 assists and was solid in her sets to the hitters like junior, Kaitlyn Watson who had five unblock-able kills and another newcomer and senior, Janelle Grant who had 3 deep court kills. There were some great volleys between the teams in this set as Newport was working harder, but Bellevue persevered and won 25-16.
In the 3rd set, Newport upped their game by challenging our back line and defending our serves. Sophomore and Libero, Maile Lani Sugamura maintained a strong defense throughout the match. Devon Condie, a senior, and Anastasiya Polykova, a junior, had kills to help keep the team ahead. Most notable was sophomore, Halle Adam, who played so well on the C team the previous year, she was brought up to Varsity and earned her first Varsity Dig. The battle was close but BHS won again at 25-23.
Overall, five BHS servers scored 24 points in Aced serves alone, and 14 of those belonged to Brooke Huard! Nice start to the season!!
Match 2 - 3/10 vs Sammamish
Bellevue Volleyball dominated Sammamish High on Wednesday night. All Three matches finished with wins. The Varsity team won in 3 sets despite being down 2 players.
The Wolverines started off the first set with a kill by Senior Janelle Grant and they never looked back. Junior Jada Cho got off 2 kills at the net with assists from Junior, Izzy Koo, who really set the tone for the night. Sophomore, Maile Sugamura held off the attacks from the back row. Sophomore and captain, Brooke Huard connected with Izzy Koo to help her send up fantastic sets to the front line. Junior and captain, Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant both had kills and aced serves. The final point was made by Brooke Huard ending the set 25-13.
The second set saw more volleys and aced serves by Bellevue. Sammamish started off with a fight, but Senior Devon Condie shut them down with a kill that went straight down behind the net. Brooke Huard added more kills and another ace to her list of serves. Junior Anastasiya Polykov helped keep Sammamish at bay on the back line. Kaitlyn Watson and Izzy Koo got off two aces each and Maile Sugamura had 3 beautifully aced serves in a row. The set ended 25-6.
The third set lost some momentum, interrupted throughout the set with errors by Sammamish and calls by the ref that left the spectators unsure of what had happened. But the Wolverines stayed intent on finishing strong. Kaitlyn Watson boosted the team with her blocks. Izzy Koo had an incredible night with 34 assists to all of the hitters. Sophomore Nyah Taylor and Janelle Grant stayed focused and prevailed with 11 more kills ending the set 25-14.
Match 3 3/15 vs Interlake
The Wolverines were expecting a tough match against Interlake on Monday night. Both teams showed up ready for the challenge. All three Bellevue teams persevered and won each match, leaving the varsity team undefeated.
The first set had a muddled start, with points going back and forth to both teams. Bellevue was scrambling to work out their kinks and miscommunications. Part way into the match Izzy Koo had aced 3 serves in a row to give the Wolverines a 4 point lead. Kaitlyn Watson and Brooke Huard each had several kills and a few aced serves. Mia Vong led in assists and put the match away with an aced serve, finishing the set at 25-21.
In the second set the Wolverines found their footing and settled in while Interlake seemed to struggle. Mia Vong started the set off with an ace. Interlake was consistently hitting to middle court making Brooke Huard and Maile Lani Sugamura dive to the floor for their passes up to setter Izzy Koo. Everyone at the net had a kill, including Jada Cho, Devon Condie and Nyah Taylor. EvenLibero Maile Lani Sugamura had a kill! Izzy Koo had multiple assists and 4 more aces. Janelle Grant brought the set to an end with a hard hitting kill. The score was 25-14.
The third set was off and running with Interlake taking the lead. Interlake was working well again and managed to give our defense some challenging digs and blocks at the net. Kaitlyn Watson got off back to back kills to jump start Bellevue’s momentum. The effortless combination of Brooke Huard, Mia Vong and Janelle Grant put several points on the board. The set saw more volleys with wins on both sides. Maile Lani Sugamura sent up several passes to Izzy Koo who set up Brooke Huard for a handful of kills. Janelle Grant, Kaitlyn Watson and Maile Lani Sugamura each had aces. Bellevue rolled into a comfortable lead. The last combination of the night was Mia Vong passing to Izzy Koo who set up ball to Brooke Huard for a well placed kill. The final run was 25-20.
Match 4 3/20 vs Mercer Island
The Wolverines played at rival Mercer Island on Saturday the 20th, marking the midpoint to the season’s conference matches. The Varsity team won all three sets, holding onto their undefeated status. JV and C both lost to strong teams.
Set One kicked off with an Ace from Captain Mia Vong. As both teams were learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses the points bounced back and forth until they were tied 8-8. Then Captain Brooke Huard served 4 aces in a row and turned the tide
for Bellevue. Senior Janelle Grant was creating some great passes to both setters, Junior Izzy Koo and Mia Vong, who in turn set the balls up to Brooke Huard, Captain Kaitlyn Watson, and Janelle Grant for several kills. MI began to catch up with their tall front row blocks and Bellevue errors. Sophomore Maile Lani Sugamura served 2 aces and followed them up with her celebratory kick. Devon Condie and Janelle Grant finished the set with Bellevue’s last three kills ending at 25-22.
Set two started when MI served right to Brooke Huard who passed the ball up to Mia Vong who set it perfectly at the net for Kaitlyn Watson who slammed the ball down for a kill. It happened so fast that the Islander’s didn’t know what hit them, and they struggled to keep up. Brooke Huard followed with more kills, as did Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant. The Wolverines were on a roll. Maile Lani Sugamura and Janelle Grant had several digs. Sophomore Nyah Taylor was set for 4 kills by Mia Vong and Janelle Grant. Islanders made a 4 point run that was terminated by Wolverine Jada Cho’s kill. The final two points were scored by Devon Condie’s kill and Brooke Huard’s ace. The score was 25-15.
Before set three began the crowd grew with MI supporters and it helped to motivate the Islander’s game. But Set 3 started exactly as set 2, Brooke Huard to Mia Vong to Kaitlyn Watson for the first point, followed by a kill from Janelle Grant. MI jumped ahead by 2 points. Nyah Taylor had blocked a roll shot that ended in a point for Bellevue. Kaitlyn Watson followed with another blocked kill. Then Maile Lani Sugamura stepped up for passes to Mia Vong who connected with Brooke Huard for 2 points. Kaitlyn Watson and Izzy Koo served more aces. Brooke Huard moved to the back row passing up to Izzy Koo who set to both Brooke Huard and Devon Condie for two more kills. Jada Cho blocked at the net for a point. Then Mercer Island took advantage of our errors and brought their score up to 13-13 and added two more for 13-15. The points were bouncing back and forth with an ace from Janelle Grant and more kills for Kaitlyn Watson and Brooke Huard, bringing the score 18-18. Mercer Island began to falter with self errors while the Wolverines gained on them with an ace by Brooke Huard. Then Maile Sugamura sent the ball up to Izzy Koo and Mia Vong, who set to Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant for the last 2 kills. The match came to an end the same way it began, Mia Vong serving an ace. Bellevue won 25-20.
Match 5 3/22 vs Newport
Bellevue played at Newport on Monday 3/22. Varsity and C team won in 3, while the JV team lost.
In the first set Bellevue wasn’t quite warmed up and started out sluggish. The match was back and forth with errors from both teams until the score was 7-7. Then Senior Janelle Grant passed the ball to Junior Izzy Koo who set to Senior Devon Condie for the first kill of the night. They repeated that awesome combination for 2 more points later in the set. Sophomore Maile Lani Sugamura sent her serve to the top of the net which rolled over and dropped for an ace. Senior Mia Vong took a short ball and set to Sophomore Brooke Huard who hit it deep for a kill. There were several long volleys between the teams and Bellevue had some errors costing them 4 more points. The turning point for the Wolverines was when Junior Kaitlyn Watson went up for a block that ended in a point for the Wolverines. From 17-20, Bellevue rolled through with a dig from Maile Lani Sugamura to Mia Vong who set to Janelle Grant who tipped it up and over the block for a kill. Then Mia Vong finished it all off with 3 aced serves. Bellevue wins 25-20.
The Wolverines looked more warmed up and alert for the second set. It began with a few errors until Brooke Huard passed up to Izzy Koo who set to Devon Condie for a kill. Bellevue stayed ahead from here on out. Brooke Huard served two aces in a row and followed them up with a pass to Izzy Koo who set Janelle Grant for a kill. The two teams continued with their volleys. Janelle Grant made a much needed block. Sophomore Halle Adam came onto the court to defend the back line with several successful passes. She passed the ball up to the net, Kaitlyn Watson made the set to Janelle Grant who killed the ball. Kaitlyn Watson had another kill. Junior Anastasiya Polyakova aced her serve. Sophomore Nyah Taylor had four fantastic kills in the final half of the set, one of them with the help of Anastasiya Polyakova’s pass to Mia Vong. Izzy Koo served the last ace and the set ended in an error by Newport. Bellevue wins 25-13.
The final set was dominated by Bellevue. Mia Vong began with an ace. Kaitlyn Watson had a kill. Halle Adam aced her first varsity serve. Maile Lani Sugamura dove to the floor for a dig, Mia Vong also had to dig for her set to Brooke Huard who sent the ball over for a hard kill, her first of 5 kills for the set. Devon Condie and Kaitlyn Watson each blocked for points. Mia Vong served three more aces and Janelle Grant hit 3 more kills. Newport battled with some hard fought volleys but the set ended with two errors by the Knights. Bellevue wins 25-12.
Match 6 3/24 vs Sammamish
Bellevue played at Sammamish this week, winning all 3 matches at each level. Even though Sammamish is having a tough season, Bellevue didn’t assume that it would be easy.
Set One began with an ace from Senior Mia Vong. BHS had a few errors followed with errors by the Totems. Junior Kaitlyn Watson aced her serve. Then Sophomore Jada Cho hit her first of two kills for the night. Brooke Huard had 4 kills with the help of sets from Junior Izzy Koo and Sophomore Maile Lani Sugamura. The passes were sent up by Senior Janelle Grant and Sophomore Halle Adam. Mia Vong had a nice run of aces and midway through the set there was an overpassed kill by Middle Hitter Kaitlyn Watson. The set ended with a pass from Libero Maile Lani Sugamura to Setter Mia Vong to Outside Hitter Janelle Grant for the win. The Wolverines win 25-11.
Set Two was an unusually slow start for Bellevue. Sammamish started off serving and even though there were some good volleys and attempted kills by Senior Devon Condie, Bellevue couldn’t quite hit the mark. That ended with a short pass from Setter Mia Vong to Maile Lani Sugamura who passed it up to Outside Hitter Nyah Taylor for the kill. The score was 1-5. Kaitlyn Watson tipped the ball for a point and shortly after she served another ace. Janelle Grant had a great block followed by 2 kills, bringing the score up to 8-6. Both teams seemed to falter with errors, only briefly interrupted by an ace from Izzy Koo. When it was 14-10, Maile Lani Sugamura took off with a run of 5 aced serves, giving Bellevue the boost they needed. Nyah Taylor passed the ball up to Izzy Koo who set back to Nyah for a kill. Twice Maile Lani Sugamura passed up to Izzy Koo who set to Kaitlyn Watson for kills. The set ended with an aced serve from Mia Vong. Bellevue wins 25-11.
Set three came with more exciting volleys but also errors from both teams. Junior Anastasiya Polyakova passed up to Mia Vong who set Brooke Huard for the first kill. Janelle Grant made a fantastic block. Kaitlyn Watson killed the ball with a set from Mia Vong, then followed it with an ace. Both teams had more errors and volleys, broken up briefly by aces from Janelle Grant and Maile Lani Sugamura. Then Kaitlyn Watson had 2 kills and 2 blocks bringing them to 18-10. Mia Vong served her last ace for the night. The next few points came from Sammamish errors. The final kills came from Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant. The Wolverines win 25-12.
Match 7 3/29 vs Interlake
Bellevue went to Interlake for their last away match. The Saints played to win, but so did the Wolverines. Bellevue Varsity won 3-0 and JV won 2-1.
Set one began with a pass received by Senior Janelle Grant, she sent it up to Senior Mia Vong who set to Sophomore Brooke Huard for the first kill of the night. Then Junior Kaitlyn Watson scored with a block. The Saints came roaring ahead, taking advantage of Bellevue errors, with 6 straight points. Kaitlyn Watson broke the momentum with a block and a point. Brooke Huard and Janelle Grant were both digging and putting up kills. Bellevue faltered again. Aces were served up by Brooke Huard, Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant. Senior Devon Condie and Mia Vong worked to get the ball up to Brooke Huard and Kaitlyn Watson for more kills. Sophomore Nyah Taylor passed to Junior Izzy Koo who set to Janelle Grant for a high leap and another kill. The Wolverines caught up 18-18. The teams battled back and forth with amazing volleys, keeping the spectators in suspense, and were spurred on by Janelle Grant’s attacks at the net. Izzy Koo set to Nyah Taylor for the a kill, tying it up at 25-25. Then Maile Lani Sugamura finished it off by serving two aces in a row! Bellevue wins 27-25.
Set two began with a Wolverine error. Then Maile Lani Sugamura passed to Mia Vong who set to Janelle Grant for a kill. The teams began trading errors and points. Janelle Grant hit a deep kill and then served an ace. Brooke Huard passed the ball to Izzy Koo who set it back to Brooke Huard for a kill. Maile Lani Sugamura passed the ball up to Mia Vong who set to Nyah Taylor for a kill. Kaitlyn Watson and Janelle Grant go up for a block. Brooke Huard serves an ace, then Kaitlyn Watson follows it with two more. Interlake gets a few tips over Bellevue’s blocks for points, but the Wolverines are ahead and not looking back. Sophomores Halle Adam and Jada Cho make some great digs. Bellevue gets another kill and two aces from Janelle Grant. Then the Wolverines finish it off with a pass from Janelle Grant to Mia Vong, who set to the net for Kaitlyn Watson’s kill. Bellevue wins 25-11.
Set three starts with a few errors. A pattern emerges on both sides of the court; a serve, an error, a point. Over and over again, Bellevue goes through 15 servers by the end of the set. The Wolverines score when Janelle Grant passes to Mia Vong who sets to Kaitlyn Watson for the kill. Maile Lani Sugamura, Brooke Huard and Devon Condie get in some amazing digs. Mia Vong surprises everyone with a dump for a point. Jada Cho, Devon Condie jump for blocks. Brooke Huard gets several passes up to Izzy Koo and Mia Vong, who send them up to Devon Condie and Nyah Taylor for kills. Despite the hard work, Bellevue is behind 14-15. Then Mia Vong serves three aces and Brooke Huard makes two kills, 19-15. The Saints edge closer with Bellevue errors, 21-20. Kaitlyn Watson serves an ace. Nyah Taylor passes to Mia Vong who sets at the net to Janelle Grant for a kill. The final point comes from a block by Jada Cho and Devon Condie and Bellevue wins, 25-21!
Match 8 3/31 vs Mercer Island
Bellevue played Mercer Island for their last match and celebrated Senior Night last night. There were gifts, candy leis, flowers, heartfelt speeches and some tears. Bellevue was allowed a sizable crowd of family, students and the drum line. The ladies put on a spectacular show, winning in 3 sets, finishing their short but substantial season undefeated.
The match began with a serve from the Islanders that ended in their error. Sophomore Brooke Huard’s ace was Bellevue’s first point, and Senior Janelle Grant followed it with a powerful kill. There was some back and forth between teams, and Mercer Island got rowdy. Bellevue suddenly hit a big streak of aces by Sophomore Maile Lani Sugamura and Senior Mia Vong, a kill by Brooke Huard, and two blocks and a kill by Junior Kaitlyn Watson. Bellevue surged from 6-6 to 18-7. Janelle Grant and Maile Lani Sugamura made deep digs to Mia Vong who passed up to Junior Devon Condie and Janelle Grant for swift kills. Junior Izzy Koo aced her serve. Then Junior Jada Cho passed to Izzy Koo who set to Mia Vong who tipped the ball up and over the block for a kill. The last 2 points came from Islander errors, ending in the Wolverines’ favor. Bellevue wins 25-17.
Set two started with an error by Mercer Island and a quick jump for an overpass made by Brooke Huard. Devon Condie had a dig and two kills and Kaitlyn Watson had a dig, a kill and a block. Mia Vong served an ace. Mercer Island called a Time Out when the score was 8-0. Bellevue’s momentum slowed briefly, with the Islanders gaining points. The two teams had some amazing and hard fought volleys. Then Kaitlyn Watson served an ace, tipped for a kill and earned a dig. Maile Lani Sugamura had a great set with multiple digs and two aces. Jada Cho Sophomore hit a kill with help from Janelle Grant and Izzy Koo. Halle Adam had several digs. Izzy Koo and Mia Vong had successful sets to Janelle Grant for 5 kills. Sophomore Nyah Taylor had a kill, a block and hit the final kill of the set. Bellevue wins 25-13.
The final set was full of long, hard fought volleys, as both teams battled to finish well. The set began with a dig from Maile Lani Sugamura, a set from Mia Vong and a kill by Devon Condie. Janelle Grant got off a tip and a big swing for two kills. Brooke Huard served an ace. Halle Adam dropped for a dig to Izzy Koo who sent up the ball to Nyah Taylor for a fast kill. Janelle Grant passed the ball up to Izzy Koo who set to Brooke Huard for a kill. The score was close 10-8. Mercer Island took advantage of Bellevue’s momentary errors and fatigue for 9 points in a row bringing it to 11-17. Then Mia Vong shut that down with a quick dunk, throwing the Islanders off their game. Bellevue was back. Assisted by Mia Vong and Maile Lani Sugamura, Janelle Grant hit four unstoppable kills. Brooke Huard aced her last serve. The score was 18-21. Mercer Island got nervous and made three errors, 21-22. Janelle Grant was on a roll and served 2 aces. Mercer Island hit the ball out giving the final point to Bellevue. The Wolverines win 25-22!
Big cheers erupted in the gym. The Wolverine players had a group hug with the coaches in celebration, then waved to Mercer Island for the good game. The night ended in photos and celebrations!!