The Mercer Island girls volleyball team took down Interlake during a home league match last Thursday, earning another 3-0 win for its regular season. The final scores were 25-10, 25-19 and 25-16.

Mercer Island, which is 5-1 in league play and 6-3 overall this season, started off with a strong first game against the Saints, quickly wrapping up the score. The Saints tried to battle back late in the game, but the rally wasn’t strong enough to overcome the Islanders offense.

“Game one was very strong. That was the best playing we’ve had consistently for an entire game this season. We had very few errors and that’s what we were working on, omitting our errors,” said first-year head coach Susan Rindlaub.

In the opening moments of the second game, Islander girls struggled to play their game on the court, giving Interlake the chance to jump to an early lead. After fighting to find its rhythm, Mercer Island clawed back into the second game, closing a seven-point deficit to one point in the middle of the game. The teams were tied at 17 before Mercer Island pulled away to notch a second win for the night.

“The beginning of the second game was our low point for the night, but they took it back and showed they didn’t want to lose,” said Rindlaub. “We are still working on consistency with our hitting.”

In game three, the Islanders looked to finish the night out quickly, hoping to pocket its third win to take the set. Both teams found more consistency in the last game of the night, keeping the score closer. Once the Islanders took the lead, they never looked back, capitalizing on Interlake errors and strong hits to take the win.

The match’s winning point was served by Ariel Dewey, a junior setter, before freshman Lorial Yeadon spiked it into an Interlake hole to finish the game.

Against Interlake, Dewey finished with 22 assists, while Yeadon had eight kills during the night. Erin McKiernan had six kills and two blocks, while Sabrina Rasmussen had five kills and three aces.

Rindlaub said the team, which was at the halfway point in its season last week, has seen all of its KingCo competitors, and the Islanders feel good about their position. The one thing that has marked their season — injuries and sickness — makes a consistent line-up tricky.

“I haven’t had a full line-up since the third game,” the coach said. “We’ve been playing girls in different positions, and they’ve been good about dealing with the changes.” Rindlaub said consistency for the rest of the season would definitely help the Islanders out.

In the second half of the season, Rindlaub said all eyes were focused on the Mt. Si match, which the team played last night, after Reporter deadline.

“The girls are very excited,” the coach said. “They have improved so much and they really want to play them again.” The Islanders’ season kicked off with the Wildcats, who gave Mercer Island its first and only league defeat so far this fall.

“That’s really what we’re waiting for,” Rindlaub said.

On Thursday evening, the Islanders hosted Juanita, winning 3-1 and sweeping the Rebels this season. The final scores were 20-25, 25-22, 25-16 and 25-18.

Dewey notched 26 assists and six kills during Mercer Island’s second win of the week. Alisa Owens had 11 digs during the meeting, while McKiernan had eight kills. Yeadon finished the night with six kills and 10 digs, and Kaylia Balinbin had 10 kills of her own.

The Islanders traveled to Mount Si on Tuesday, after Reporter deadline, and will host Bellevue in their second to last home game of the season.