It’s only her first year on varsity, but sophomore Allie Hadley already has strong ties with her senior teammates.

In short, Bothell High blue blood runs deep and she doesn’t want the older players’ prep volleyball careers to end just yet.

“It motivates everyone, we don’t want it to be our last game,” Hadley said following the Cougars’ 3-0 set win over Skyline Thursday afternoon to advance in the 4A Kingco Tournament. Bothell later defeated Newport, 3-2, in another loser-out contest and will next play at Skyview in Vancouver at 2 p.m. Saturday for a spot to state.

After a long season for Bothell (10-1 league, 15-3 overall), outside hitter Hadley said the team is tired, but coach Marlie Davis has mentally prepared the Cougs to tough it out and succeed.

Senior libero Zoe Iida, 4A Kingco defensive specialist of the year, added: “Literally, everyone is sick and injured in some way, but you just come to play, you give it all you’ve got.

“We know we’re really scrappy and short,” she added. “We know we have to work hard in practice, work hard in games.”

That showed in full during Bothell’s blanking of Skyline behind setter Anna Buck’s 40 assists, Iida’s 13 digs and 12 and 13 kills, respectively, from Sarah Norris and Haley Bedell. In the nightcap, Buck distributed 41 assists, Iida had 25 digs and Norris, Bedell and Hadley combined for 40 kills.

Bedell, a junior outside hitter, led the way with 17 kills against Newport, which dropped the first two sets to Bothell and then rebounded to take the next two before falling in the fifth set.

“It’s amazing to be on the court and you see the faces after someone gets a hit or someone gets an amazing save,” Bedell said. “It’s just everyone together and everyone believing in each other.

“And the subs, whenever they go in the game, they make a difference.”

Added Iida: “And you should see our bench, they just explode off the seats.”

Bothell has been without the services of senior middle blocker Rachael Davis — the Cougars’ tallest player at 5-foot-11 — for much of the season due to a sprained ankle and health issues. Davis gave maximum support from the bench during Thursday’s matches, and Bedell noted that the Cougars have excelled in Davis’ absence on the court.

“I think the injuries have made us stronger. They make us each step up and raise our level of play,” Bedell said. “I feel that this season, we’ve grown stronger as a team, and that has made us play better. Everyone mixes so well together.”