Skyline Spartans senior outside hitter Chloe Epker put together a game for the ages against the Eastlake Wolves in the Class 4A KingCo volleyball title game. Epker finished with a game-high 27 kills, propelling Skyline to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20) victory on Nov. 6 at Skyline High School in Sammamish.
Skyline is the No. 1 seed from the KingCo Division at the Class 4A state tournament, which begins on Nov. 14 at St. Martin’s University in Lacey. The Spartans won the first two games but Eastlake wouldn’t go away quietly. Eastlake took the third game and built a 10-7 lead in the fourth game. Skyline went on a 18-10 run in the fourth game to quell Eastlake’s comeback bid. Epker said the Spartans knew the kind of tenacity the Wolves bring to every match.
“I think the key was keeping our energy at the same level the entire time and not going up and down,” Epker said. “Eastlake is a team with a lot of energy and they always come out strong. We just needed to play our game and play at our pace the entire time.”
Spartans’ head coach Callie Wesson said her team never got discouraged after dropping the third set and falling behind early in the fourth set.
“We have been working all year on staying even keeled even when we’re down and keep pushing and keep fighting until its over. It’s not over until you win three games. Being able to come back from being behind in the fourth game was huge,” Wesson said.
Wesson said Epker is someone her teammates trust in pressure situations.
“Chloe is consistent and is someone her teammates know they can rely on. If they’re in a jam or in a trap rotation, they can definitely get the ball to her and know that everything will be all right,” Wesson said.
The Spartans have competed in the Class 4A state tourney for the past three seasons. They finished in sixth place in 2011, ninth place in 2012 and seventh place in 2013. Wesson said her team’s goal is to finish in one of the top four placings this weekend. This past week’s practice sessions focused on the smallest of details.
“We’re just going to keep focusing on us,” Wesson said on Nov. 7. “If we can do our job on our side of the net, it doesn’t matter who our opponent is on the other side.”
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
