The Bulldogs dominated the court against Skagit Valley on Wednesday, Sept. 24, keeping up their flawless 2025 season. Winning 3-0, Bellevue’s overall record ran to 19-0.
Earning a final score of 25-21 in the opening set, Bellevue started the game with the lead. Setter Maile Kuamo’o maintained a strong serve throughout the entire set, and right-side hitter Olivia Chilton delivered a forceful spike, gaining a point for Bellevue.
The Bulldogs, led by coach Jocelyn Lawrence, persevered this week as a couple of injuries among players led to some position changes. The team looks out for one another and continues to succeed, no matter the circumstances.
“When we’ve been faced with adversity, the next person stepped up and no one’s wavered – we have amazing leadership not only in our captains, but in our sophomores, and all the way through to our freshmen,” said Lawrence.
Going into the second set, the Bulldogs persisted with a powerful rally that ended with them scoring the point and bringing the team ahead. A nail-biting finish had both teams fighting for the match point, but Bellevue ultimately won the set with a score of 27-25.
The team has excellent communication skills both on the court and when creating strategy in between sets. Coach Lawrence takes pride in the Bulldogs’ communication skills and believes it is a great factor in their game.
“Their communication is the number one thing we’ve worked on right away, and being there for each other—the only way to be there for each other is by making sure you’re communicating, and you understand what the other person’s going to be doing,” they explained.
By the third set, Bellevue gained a steady 10-point lead on Skagit Valley. An intense rally ended with Skagit Valley hitting out of bounds, giving Bellevue the point. Outside hitter Ava Nowak dove for the ball, earning Bellevue their 18th point. A compelling end to the set led the Bulldogs to a win of 25-15.
This game marks the nineteenth win of the season for Bellevue College Women’s Volleyball. This undefeated streak has the team motivated to place first in the Northwest Athletic Conference Championship. In years past, the Bulldogs have placed many times in the top eight, but they have yet to earn the first-place banner on the wall.
When asked about motivation throughout the season, middle blocker Mya Hejl stated, “Last year, we came up short a couple times when we really needed to [win]. Going into the off-season, I set clear expectations for myself—to push myself and be the best leader, teammate and person on the court that I can be.”
The Bulldogs have so far made an overwhelming impact on the 2025 season. Catch them at their next home game against Shoreline, Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. to see some vigorous action from this unstoppable team!
