MIHS volleyball squad continues district play on Nov. 12

Spot to state tourney on the line.

By Andy Nystrom • November 11, 2022 12:30 pm
Mercer Island High School’s varsity volleyball team: Back row, left to right: Annabelle Hopkins, Logan Remington, Nora Prophater, Sam Silke and Yui Halvorson; Bottom row, left to right: Taylor Swendrowski, Mia Vorkoper, Aditi Mannby, Leila Obeidat (captain), Melena Wong, Sophia Prock (captain), Olivia Guo (captain) and Lainie Wion. Photo courtesy of Amy Hopkins
Mercer Island High School’s varsity volleyball team: Back row, left to right: Annabelle Hopkins, Logan Remington, Nora Prophater, Sam Silke and Yui Halvorson; Bottom row, left to right: Taylor Swendrowski, Mia Vorkoper, Aditi Mannby, Leila Obeidat (captain), Melena Wong, Sophia Prock (captain), Olivia Guo (captain) and Lainie Wion. Photo courtesy of Amy Hopkins

Mercer Island High School’s volleyball team will continue its postseason run at the 3A District 2 tournament on Nov. 12 at Lakeside School in Seattle.

In the first round on Nov. 10, the Islanders beat West Seattle and lost to Bishop Blanchet, both by 3-0 scores. The locals will next battle Holy Names at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12 in a winner-to-state, loser-out game. The top six teams at district will earn berths to state, which will occur on Nov. 17-18 at the Yakima Valley Sundome.

The Islanders finished second at the 3A KingCo tournament and sport a 12-9 overall record; the girls went 8-4 in league play. At the KingCo tourney, the locals defeated Interlake (3-0) and beat Lake Washington (3-2) before losing to Bellevue (3-0) in the title match.

Heading into districts, the Islanders stat leaders were junior setter Melena Wong with 42 serving aces and 513 assists; senior outside hitter Leila Obeidat with 171 kills; junior middle blocker Logan Remington with a plus-.365 hitting percentage and 56 blocks; and senior libero Sophia Prock with 134 digs.

On the all-league front, senior captain and outside hitter Olivia Guo is a first-teamer; captain Obeidat and Remington are second-teamers; and senior right side Yui Halvorson and captain Prock are honorable mentions.

Head coach Carmen Vasilatos gave some insight into what transpires within the Islander volleyball orbit.

“Not only is this a fun, energetic group of athletes, but their desire to win and ability to hold one another accountable has been key to our success. We do our best to not dwell on past mistakes and instead focus on what we can do to level up our play each time we step on the court,” she said.

Obeidat said that when the ball is served into play, the Islanders thrive on communication, tenacity, high energy, team support and playing their game no matter which opponent stands on the opposite side of the net.

“The team this year is very special because not only do we have a lot of talent and skill, but we also have the ability to work cohesively, which is very important in volleyball since each aspect of the game is crucial to win,” she added.