The Mount Si High School girls volleyball team got off to an excellent start last week, as they beat two Kingco 4A opponents to open the season.
The week started last Tuesday night, Sept. 9, as Mount Si hosted Bothell. What started out looking like a quick Mount Si sweep instead turned into a battle that went the full five-game distance. Thanks to a memorable night from Wildcat senior Miranda Pratt, Mount Si got it done.
The Wildcats beat Bothell 25-15, 28-25, 26-24, 24-26 and 15-9. Pratt had 15 digs and 4 aces, but it was her 28 kills that were the big story. That 28-kill effort broke the Mount Si school record for most kills in a match, a record previously set by Marissa Hill, who played for Mount Si from 2001-2004. Hill is a college senior playing for Western Washington University this fall.
Wildcat coach Bonnie Foote broke the news to a surprised Pratt following the match.
“It’s a complete shock because when you’re playing, you don’t think about that at all,” Pratt said. “You just think of doing the best that you can for your team. It’s not about kills for me; it’s about getting the point for my team and doing the best that I possibly can so we can succeed together.”
Bothell opened the first game with the lead, something that happened in all but the final game of the match. Mount Si, though, quickly grabbed control, using a couple of Mackenzie Peerboom kills to seize the advantage. Continued solid play by both Peerboom and Pratt helped the Wildcats maintain consistent flow through the game, and a pair of aces by Pratt on serve locked it up. Peerboom was pleased with the team’s effort in the match.
“We just like to focus on improvement, and I think we did today,” she said. “We had our little moments but we went through it, worked through it, and got a good result.”
The Cougars broke out to the lead in game two, and this time, they held it. Solid efforts from several Bothell players, including Charnele Odingo and Kionna Shealey, helped the Cougars. Mount Si tried to fight back late, but the deficit was just too great at that point. A kill by Odingo closed out the second frame.
Game three was for the most part all Bothell. But, unlike the second game, the Wildcats were able to fight back and rally late. Bothell had five game points in the third game, but a Pratt kill and a series of hitting errors by the Cougars lifted Mount Si. Another pair of aces by the Idaho-bound senior finished things off, and it appeared the Wildcats were back in business.
It looked that way, too, in game four, but Bothell turned the tables on Mount Si and rallied from their own late deficit to grab the win and force the deciding fifth stanza. The Wildcats in that frame broke out to the lead and never looked back. The 28th and final kill of the night by Pratt slammed the door shut on this one, and Mount Si went home happy, having been given a very useful test to start the season.
“Bothell’s a very respectable program,” Foote said. “They run the same system we run, and it was nice to see our girls bounce back and show some heart and some character, and come out and win that thing. That was great.”
Robyn Schirmer’s efforts were also key; she had 43 assists.
Last Thursday, Sept. 11, at Woodinville, the Wildcats took care of the Falcons in four games; scores were 25-23, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-22. Pratt followed up her school record efforts with a 16-kill, seven-dig, six-ace effort. Schirmer added 28 assists, and Peerboom also punched in six kills.
Mount Si hosts Mercer Island on Wednesday, Sept. 17. This is the first of two matches between the two clear contenders for the Kingco 3A title. Game time is 7 p.m.
