Last season’s top two 3A state volleyball teams were in town Friday night, squaring off for a rematch of last year’s title game. And while Friday’s game saw some similarities to last November’s contest, the ending ultimately played out differently this time around.
Fighting back after dropping the opening two sets against the team it beat for the 3A state title, Mercer Island volleyball fell in the deciding fifth set of its rematch with Holy Names Academy, losing 3-2 Friday night at Mercer Island High School. The loss was Mercer Island’s first of the season.
Just like the last time the two teams met, the Islanders and Cougars went the distance in a competitive five-set affair. After the game, coach Susan McKay said playing Holy Names served as the Islanders’ first big test of the young season.
“We really wanted to play them again this year, not just for the rematch aspect but because we know they’re a really good team and we know they’d be great competition for us,” she said. “They are an excellent team. They play really good defense and it was tough.”
Mercer Island played from behind throughout the first two sets, falling 25-17 and 25-15. Its only lead, a 2-0 advantage to open the second match, became a 7-2 deficit after a Holy Names side out, with server Maeva Osemene leading the charge.
But the Islanders managed to turned things around, winning the next two sets 25-17 and 25-18. McKay said after falling down 2-0, she told her team she was ready for a five-set match, something the Islanders hadn’t seen yet this year.
“I was disappointed in how long it took for them to really get started and play our game,” she said. “We were on our heels, playing timid and making a lot of stupid mental errors for the first two games. Once we finally got it together in the third and fourth, I was really proud of how they played.”
Mercer Island carried its momentum into the fifth set, claiming an early 4-0 advantage and extended its lead to 7-2. But behind the serving of Jackie Labonite, the Cougars fought back to claim an 8-7 lead. Ahead 10-9 with Angelou Dunton at the serving line, the Cougars scored the game’s final five points.
Brooke Behrbaum had 11 kills and five blocks for Mercer Island. Caroline Hamilton had nine kills and six aces, Olivia Hughes and Kelly Behrbaum each posted eight kills and two blocks, and Natalie Robinson had 11 digs, 40 assists and four aces.
McKay said afterward she saw some of the Islanders’ inexperience show at the end of the fifth set. While the Islanders came out intense and excited, the team struggled to finish executing the little things to close out the game. She said going forward, the Islanders would have to improve its poise and mental focus.
“We came out really strong at the beginning of the fifth game and we had all the momentum, and then we started making mental mistakes and giving away points and we just completely collapsed. It was hard to watch,” she said. “We’ll learn a lot from it, you can learn a lot from losses.”
Mercer Island will host Liberty at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 at MIHS.
