The Cougars lost in straight sets on Monday, Oct. 2.
Not long into the next conference match two days later, the Bothell High volleyball team trailed Eastlake after the first set.
An undefeated run through the conference schedule already in tatters, Bothell coach Russel Monsef had a volleyball hangover on his mind.
“Not worried, but cautious,” he said. “I think the girls were playing that way in the first set. After Monday, we just weren’t playing how we want to play. We were thinking about it, but the girls did a good job.”
The Cougars fought back, winning the next three sets and walking home with a 23-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22 conference victory over Eastlake at Bothell High School.
Bothell (2-1 KingCo, 7-2) led early in each the final three sets, and had to hold on when Eastlake rallied for three close finishes.
“‘Good teams are going to battle, and Eastlake’s a good team,” Monsef said. “They got their runs. They were exposing our defense a little bit, and we just had to make adjustments.”
Senior hitters Alexa Torres and Camille Gilmore each finished with 14 kills. Gilmore led the team against Skyline on Oct. 2, but both hitters were held below their season averages.
“We definitely went into the match against Skyline knowing that’s the team that always comes in and beats us,” Torres said. “Last year, they bumped us out of going to state and we wanted vengeance. We’re going to see them back in playoffs, and we’re going to kick their butt.”
The KingCo championship tournament is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2 and 5 at Bothell High School. The top six teams in the final conference standings compete in the conference tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the state tournament.
“We said that KingCo is a stepping stone,” Monsef said. “We still have a lot of games to play for everybody, and we have the tournament. What I like is that the girls are working hard and we haven’t peaked yet. I don’t want to peak early, I want to peak at the right time.”
Maddie Butters finished with 10 kills, Gabby Kepley had eight and Sydney Cowan had five.
Next, the Cougars are scheduled to take part in the Sheridan Classic on Oct. 7-8 at University High School in Spokane. The next home match is scheduled for Oct. 12 against Newport.
