BELLINGHAM – After losing the first set, 25-21, the Squalicum volleyball team regrouped to win the next three sets, 25-16, 25-18 and 28-26 over Bellingham at Squalicum High School on Tuesday night.
The Red Raiders have improved greatly from last year’s team (1-13 in 2017), and jumped out to a 9-3 lead over the Storm in the first set. A strong finish, including multiple kills by sophomore Hope McFall, led Bellingham to an early 1-0 lead.
“We got off to a slow start, and sometimes that happens,” said Squalicum coach Joe Amaral. “I didn’t know what to expect from Bellingham, but you could definitely tell even in the warmups that they have improved.”
The Storm had a strong second set, going on a 10-point run to make it 20-10 at one point. The run was highlighted by multiple kills by senior Leeya Fogle and blocks by seniors Jenna Dionne and Makenzie Hofer. Fogle, who stands 5-foot-5, gets the most out of her height, and is the most devastating offensive player on her team.”
“After the first set we really started playing well together,” Fogle said. “We got our mistakes fixed. The setters did a great job!”
Fogle finished the night with 19 kills, 16 digs and six aces.
The third set featured a 7-point run by Squalicum, highlighted by a pair of aces by senior Anahita Gharai. She totaled five aces to go along with her 34 assists and eight digs.
Red Raider junior Amaya Cook played great in the middle during the fourth and final set with multiple kills and blocks, along with Fall. But, it was the Storm that came through in the end with great play from Dionne, Fogle and junior Daisy Baier.
Dionne totaled nine digs, four kills and a pair of blocks while Baier had eight digs, five kills and two aces. Senior Tessa Belsher also had a big night with 16 digs.
Squalicum (2-1) will host Lakewood (0-2) on Thursday night, and Bellingham (2-1) will host Blaine (0-3) on Thursday night.
