Wednesday October 4th marked Seattle Prep volleyball’s 12th game of the season. Coach Haywood’s 10-1 (8-0) squad hosted 2-7 (2-6) Roosevelt hoping for a similar result to the September 12th sweep of the Roughriders.
The #5 state-ranked Panthers entered as heavy favorites and did not disappoint. With a starting lineup of six upperclassmen and help from a deep bench, Prep overwhelmed Roosevelt in the first set.
The Panthers hopped out to a 9-2 lead behind excellent serving from Ava Tinder ’24 and Kayli Tran ’26. Delaney Dorscht ’25 pitched in with four early kills to help Prep extend the lead to 16-6.
Despite a slight comeback from Roosevelt, junior Lucia Schneider got things under control with multiple kills to secure momentum. The final blow came from Gabi Smith ’26 with a dink to secure the first set victory for the Panthers.
Unlike the first, the second set remained close throughout. The lengthy combo of Smith and Cody Kohler ’24 up front proved vital to the Panthers defense, and contributed to an early 8-4 lead. Schneider added two kills and an excellent serve, however some unforced errors on the Prep side kept Roosevelt close.
Roosevelt’s front line persisted, notching numerous kills to strangle any chances Prep had at securing momentum. A series of mid-game serves from Tinder caught the net, giving the senior a consecutive trio of aces, and the team a slight edge.
A sweet lefty kill from Maddy Conner ’27 and more key blocks from the Panthers’ lofty frontline set up the team for the win. Up two late, Dorscht came through with a clutch dink to propel the Panthers to a 25-21 set win.
Carrying a 2-0 lead into the final set, Prep was looking for sweep number seven on the season. It seemed as though the set was in the books, as the Panthers took a 7-2 lead behind defensive contributions from Conner and Mika Wellington ’25.
When the lead grew to seven, Roosevelt utilized a timeout to halt Prep’s momentum. Roosevelt came out firing, turning up the energy to mount a comeback and take a 16-15 lead – their first of the night. It was nothing but a back-and-forth dog fight from there, both teams sharing extensive volleys and trading exceptional kills.
With the game on the line, Leilua Kitiona ’26 and Dorscht delivered with back-to-back kills. A few Roosevelt miscues later and the game was over, a hard-fought 25-22 third set victory for the Panthers.
The Panthers’ effort can only be described as a well-rounded. Contributions came from up and down the lineup, and players made big plays when the team needed them most. The depth and balance of the squad was truly on full display all night long.
With the sweep of Roosevelt, Prep moves to 11-1 (9-0) on the season. Just five games remain as the Panthers continue their quest for an undefeated Metro league season. Check out McHugh on Monday, October 9 as the team welcomes Eastside Catholic looking to improve to 10-0 in Metro play.
Cecile • Oct 7, 2023 at 9:57 am
Go, Panthers! Great read/addition to the newspaper staff too!