The Bellevue College Women’s Volleyball practice was in full swing on a warm afternoon. To my left, a veteran volleyball player leaped in mid-air to knock the volleyball back into play, only to snap into a tight roll and land ready for the next move. To the right was Kim Culliton, head coach of Bellevue Volleyball. Culliton was leading the girls through a heart-pumping practice.
With scores against the Yakima Valley on Sept. 17 of 25-19, 25-10 and 25-19, they mean business. Let’s look at some of the volleyball all-stars and stats from a recent game. First up is Laura Friar, with a potent 15 kills and nine digs. Emina Dodic leads the defense with 2.5 blocks. Kylai Cooley got four aces and 11 kills along with her teammate Darian Foley, who had seven kills. Madison Agnew is not to be taken lightly with a record 17 digs during a game. Krista Groves is last but certainly not the least with 34 assists and eight digs.
As I was sitting down with Friar, Cooley and Culliton, Friar said, “Well, we have been playing a lot, but our competition in the last game was not as high as the weekend before.” While talking about the Summer Olympics, Friar also stated, “I watched quite a bit of beach volleyball and they were really good. I believe we have a lot of hard work and motivation. Maybe not the height, but we have every bit of heart.”
Cooley then talked about what she thought about her time on the team as a new addition. “I like it; it might be hard work, but it pays off.” Friar added, “Most of the team this year are newcomers, but are adapting fast.”
They couldn’t be more prepared to take on the best and deliver. There will be a lot of competition with other teams. Spokane and Mount Hood are among their strongest competitors. Coach Culliton added, “We would like to have more school spirit and fans.”
After supporting the team this past Wednesday, I feel confident in the team and their coach. Hopefully more students will come down and show some Bellevue school spirit and give them a roar.