The Bulldogs volleyball team finished in the top eight at an exciting NWAACC Championship Tournament the weekend of Nov. 17-19, hosted by Mount Hood CC in Gresham, Oregon.
On Thursday, Nov. 17, the team fell in five games to Blue Mountain, the reigning 2010 NWAACC Champions. “We played the best game of our 2011 season,” Coach Kim Culliton said, “It was inspiring and exciting to watch what we could be capable of accomplishing.” Freshman dynamo Laura Friar had a staggering 30 kills with an amazing effort, while freshman setter Krista Groves impressed with 41 assists and 10 digs, and Tiva Akau defended the back court with 30 digs.
Thursday evening, in a win-or-go-home game, the Bulldogs were matched up against the ever-unpredictable Highline CC. In a two out of three match, Bellevue won in an exciting three games, 25-22, 24-26, and 18-16. Friar once again had an impressive game with 27 kills and 14 digs; Groves had 28 assists and six digs, with Akau, Morgan de Carteret, and Jessica Biesheuvel contributing with 17, eight and six digs, respectively.
Friday was an exciting day as the Bulldogs headed into their third match of the tournament, this one against North Region Champion and perennial rival, Shoreline, but Bellevue handled it in style. The Bulldogs defeated the Dolphins in two games, 28-26 and 25-20. “It was an emotional game,” Culliton said, “we had gone back and forth with Shoreline beating us more often than not during the regular season. It was amazing to come out with confidence now and beat them.”
Saturday morning, the Bulldogs were matched up with the #1 team from the strong Eastern region, Spokane. After another great warm up, the Bulldogs finally fell in three, eliminating them from the Tournament, 22-25, 25-15, and 11-15. Kill leader once again was Friar with 16 kills and 12 digs. Groves had 22 assists with six digs while Akau, de Carteret and Biesheuvel had 19, nine and five digs respectively. Another impressive effort not in the stats was by middle blocker Emina Dodic. “Emina has improved so much this season,” Culliton said, “she learned the middle blocker position in one week – out of necessity. During the Spokane game, she owned the position. She had two bump kills, three blocks and led the team in positivity. She has worked very hard all season, and we are very proud of her. We’re extremely proud of the entire team – to be so young and come so far is an impressive accomplishment. We cannot wait for next season. we’re setting up an exciting 2012 schedule and working to bring in another impressive batch of freshmen to add to this amazing group. Stay tuned!”
The Bellevue volleyball team wraps up the year with a 7-3 league record, 22-13 season.
Congratulations to 2011 NWAACC Volleyball All-Star selections Laura Friar, Outside Hitter, First Team, and Krista Groves, Setter, Second Team.
Last Updated January 27, 2014
