Friday Match to Watch: Liberty vs Newport-Bellevue

<p>It’s that time of the year again! The high school volleyball season has just started in the state of Washington and we can’t wait to see all the exciting prospects of the Evergreen State in action once again.</p> <p>The first week of competition will bring a handful of can’t-miss matches and as we understand it’s a lot to process, especially with two seasons separated by just a few months, we’ll recommend one match for you to follow over the next few days, highlighting the teams involved and their most exciting prospects.</p> <p>If you’re around, don’t miss this match on Friday, September 10:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Liberty vs Newport-Bellevue – 7.00pm</strong></p> <p>The Patriots, who represent the Liberty High School out of Issaquah, fared really well in the shortened season, winning six out of their seven matches. The team no longer has five seniors who graduated ahead of their campaign in the 3A KingCo District and started preseason losing to Issaquah.</p> <p>The Lady Knights from the Newport high School in Bellevue weren’t as successful last season, winning just two out of their six matches. The team coached by Zeke Hsu graduated three seniors after last season and is set to compete in the 4A KingCo District.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Liberty</strong></p> <p><strong>Kaya Vong – Outside Hitter – Club: Sudden Impact – 2022</strong></p> <p>Kaya Vong has been a key player for the Patriots in each of the seasons in high school volleyball and it won’t be any different on the last one. A potent, 5’11” pin hitter who can score from both sides of the net, she brings much-needed levels of power and reliability to Liberty’s offense. She also helps in other areas of the game with her blocking and defensive skills.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12295692/6037569919a5a91398b9774d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Emily Miller – Middle Blocker – Club: Northwest Juniors - 2023</strong></p> <p>A 5’11” middle blocker, Emily Miller provides some important net presence for the Patriots both on offense and with her blocking. She has acquired some important experience over her first two years of high school volleyball and has been consistently improving, in part too due to the great work of her club team Northwest Juniors.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Newport-Bellevue</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97246" first="Arden" last="Carnrite"] – Outside Hitter - Club: Sudden Impact – 2023</strong></p> <p>An explosive and technical hitter, [player_tooltip player_id="97246" first="Arden" last="Carnrite"] has been Newport’s go-to scoring option since she joined the team in 2019. She’s really strong from the left side of the net and can put anyone in trouble with her diversified offensive game. Her overall game is extremely well-rounded as she has played as a right sider and a setter in the past, besides having spent time working on her beach volleyball skills as well.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14120027/5ea7c58e041d8b0594096cc6" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97126" first="Xayna" last="Peter"] – Libero – Club: Sudden Impact – 2022</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="97126" first="Xayna" last="Peter"] has been Newport’s floor general for a long time, taking care of the team’s defensive duties with a high level of efficiency. Extremely technical and determined, the 5’3” Peter is very good in keeping the ball up in the air. She’s also an extremely dangerous server, who can also help her teams scoring points or, at least, getting opponents out of system.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12296076/6100c667ff01cd0e08f28056" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>