By Doug Petrowski

For the second match in a row, the Mountlake Terrace High School volleyball team turned in an uneven performance,  falling behind in a deciding fifth set and unable to recover. This time it was Meadowdale that beat the Hawks, 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-10), Tuesday night at MTHS.

The Hawks’ record drops to 6-2 for the season, 0-2 in the tough Wesco South 3A standings. Meadowdale’s record improves to 6-2.

Mountlake Terrace had lost its prior match on Sept. 25 in a five-set thriller to Shorewood 3-2, after starting the season with six straight victories.

“We beat ourselves tonight,” said Coach Marietta Snyder. “We’re capable of so much more.”

The Hawks fell behind 6-1, then were down 12-3 in the fifth set to the Mavericks, using two timeouts along the way to try to change the game momentum. “I asked them during that last timeout, ‘are you giving up?’” Snyder explained. The question seemed to motivate the Hawks briefly, but they weren’t able to sustain any comeback attempt.

Snyder was frustrated with the team’s effort Tuesday night. “Maybe they were satisfied with those first six wins, but that’s history,” she said. “Most recently we’re 0-2.”

The Hawks have little time for self-reflection as they have to travel to current South 3A leader Glacier Peak (7-1) on Thursday. Game time at the Snohomish school is 7 p.m.