Bellevue College Volleyball gutted it out to the end, going five sets each on the road, losing to Rogue (25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 25-19, 13-15) before topping host Linn-Benton (22-25, 27-25, 25-23, 12-25, 16-14). In both matches, the final set to 15 was played down to the wire, exhausting the bench for the Bulldogs as Head Coach Jocelyn Lawrence used a consistent rotation of players off the bench.
In the Rogue match, BC managed to be down 2-1, despite a hit percentage of only .101 in the first three sets. The Bulldogs rallied in the fourth with 14 kills and swung the momentum midway through going from a 9-11 deficit to a 25-19 win. Malia Honrud had 3 kills in a critical stretch when BC put up 7 points while holding Rogue to just one.
In set five, Bellevue jumped out to commanding leads of 7-2 and 10-5 before faltering down the stretch as Rogue went on to win the final set 15-13.
Ariana Bilby (12 kills, 3 aces, 9 digs) and Savannah Sleasman (8 kills, 9 digs) led the ‘dogs.
Bellevue’s toughness showed as they came back from a devasting loss and had to face host Linn-Benton immediately after. The two went back and forth as the Bulldogs went five again, but this time on the winning side after yet another thrilling fifth set. Bellevue made quick adjustments offensively and were much sharper as they hit at a .265 clip; a huge improvement over the opening match’s proficiency.
The Bulldogs and Roadrunners played dead even through three before Bellevue appeared to fatigue, losing 25-12 in the fourth set. However, it was the Roadrunners who wilted in the final points of set five as three miscues gave BC the win in the final minute.
Meg Perry along with Bilby each had 10 kills. Justine Benson had 16 assists along with 7 digs.
Bellevue is now 4-2 and will get a short break after six matches in four days. The Bulldogs travel to eastern Washington to face powerhouses Spokane, North Idaho, and Walla Walla. Bellevue will fact Spokan at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 1 before traveling across the state border to face North Idaho in a 7:00 p.m. match. The final leg of the trip will be a 2:00 p.m. match the following day in Walla Walla as part of Lawrence’s challenging pre-season schedule she has assembled for the ‘dogs.
Last Updated August 31, 2021
