Bellevue College volleyball placed sixth in a tough crossover tournament the weekend of Oct. 12-13 at Shoreline Community College, facing in pool play Tacoma CC, the third-ranked team in the West; Mount Hood CC, first in the South; and Blue Mountain, first-ranked team in the East.
The Bulldogs battled Tacoma Titans in the first match, and it took five games before Bellevue finally lost: 14-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22 and 11-15. The Bulldogs offense was led by outside hitter Laura Friar with 14 kills in the match, outside hitter Kylai Cooley had 13, and middle blocker Darian Foley, five. Friar led the Bulldog defense with 19 digs in the match, followed by Cooley with 12 and Libero Madison Agnew with 11. Setter Krista Groves had 36 assists.
In the second pool play match of the tournament, the Bulldogs took on the Mt. Hood Saints winning in three 25-19, 25-22 and 25-22. Groves led the Bulldogs with three aces in the match and 35 assists. The Bulldogs offense was led by Cooley with 16 kills, followed by Friar with 13. Right side Samantha Minnig stepped up for the Bulldogs, coming in for Foley after an ankle injury; Minnig contributed two blocks.
In the final pool play game, the Bulldogs were up against the NWAACC Coaches Poll top-ranked Blue Mountain Timberwolves and, despite strong team play by Bellevue, the Bulldogs lost in three 11-25, 16-25 and 13-25. Friar had 14 kills for the Bulldogs in the match. The Bulldog defense was led by Dodic with three blocks. Defensive specialist Annie Phan had 15 digs for Bellevue, followed by Groves with ten and Cooley with seven. Groves had 20 assists in the match.
Finishing 1-2 in pool play, Bellevue was sent to the Silver Bracket to take on Chemeketa Storm, winning in two 25-20 and 25-14. Groves had two aces, eight digs and 10 assists in the match. The Bulldog offense was led by Friar with six kills, followed by Dodic, Minnig and outside hitter Allison Chin with three each. Minnig led the Bulldog defense with two blocks in the match. Setter Stephanie Antioquia had five assists for the Bulldogs.
In the championship of the Silver Bracket, Bellevue was again up against Mt. Hood, losing in three 26-24, 10-25 and 3-15. Friar had 12 kills, followed by Chin and Minnig with five and three, respectively. The Bulldog defense was led by Agnew with 14 digs in the match; Groves had 12 assists, followed by Antioquia’s eight. “It was a tough two days,” said Bellevue head coach Kim Culliton, “but I was proud of our team as they took on several of the top-ranked teams in the NWAACC and never gave up.”
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, Oct. 17, on a road trip to Everett CC, game time 7:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 19, the Bulldogs begin three consecutive home dates in the BC gym: Oct. 19 vs. Edmonds; Monday, Oct. 22 vs. Whatcom; and wrapping up Weds., Oct. 31 vs. Skagit Valley. All matches begin at 7:00 p.m.
Last Updated January 27, 2014
