An incredible run of wins took the Wrangell High School girls volleyball team all the way to the state championship playoffs at Palmer High School last Thursday and Friday.
Even with their signature ability to come back from losses and overcome the competition to win matches, it wasn’t enough for the Lady Wolves, whose bid for the state title ended after three hard-fought games.
Wrangell versus Dillingham
Play started Thursday morning with Wrangell facing the Dillingham High School Wolverines. Early on, it was evident the kind of competition Wrangell would face the rest of the tournament. Dillingham started outpacing Wrangell, despite Wrangell’s cohesive play and good communication. No matter what Wrangell served up, Dillingham’s defense was able to return it. The first set ended 25-21, with Dillingham the victor.
The second set had both teams trading point for point until disarray in the Dillingham squad gave Wrangell the confidence to surge ahead. The Lady Wolves showed what made them Southeast regional champs, landing a series of points to lead by 10 points. They eventually clenched the win, 25-12.
Wrangell’s win in the second set was enough to motivate Dillingham in the third set. The Wolverines scored first and began moving slowly ahead. The Lady Wolves had to work hard to slowly come from behind, eventually getting close, but it wasn’t quite enough as Dillingham won the set 25-18.
“We’ve had that problem all year,” head coach Alyssa Allen told the Ketchikan Daily News. “We jump out to a lead and then let off the gas.”
That loss in turn motivated Wrangell to start off the fourth set focused and powerful to take the lead. Even though they kept a decent lead, Wrangell had to work hard and put up a solid defense to keep ahead. Aubrey Wynne slammed the ball for point 24 in the final moments, and it was an out-of-bounds hit from Dillingham that gave Wrangell the win, 25-19.
With two wins each, the fifth set was a tiebreaker. Wrangell came on strong early, scoring first. Dillingham answered, but Wrangell again took the lead. A series of strong serves, strong defense and being prepared for whatever Dillingham threw at them allowed Wrangell to stay ahead. Only after some missteps on Wrangell’s part was Dillingham able to catch up. It wasn’t enough and Wrangell went on to win the set, 15-11. Wynne was awarded with the player of the match for the squad.
Wrangell versus Tri-Valley
Winning their first match, Wrangell would face the Tri-Valley High School team out of Healy. The Warriors proved right away they’d be a force to reckon with by surging ahead. Wrangell slowly closed the point gap but could never get within two points of the competition. Tri-Valley seemed to notice Wrangell’s mistakes and took advantage where they could, eventually winning the first set, 25-21.
Brodie Gardner started the second set with strong serves, giving Wrangell the lead. It was a close game but increased effort from the Lady Wolves and the infamous spikes from Kiara Harrison kept them on top, winning the set, 25-18.
Both teams paid close attention to their opponent, using missteps and lack of communication to their advantage. When Tri-Valley’s play started to unravel, Wrangell could tie the game. When Wrangell would make mistakes or stumble in their communication, Tri-Valley was on top of it. A tight series of plays landed the game at a 23-23 tie, making it anyone’s set, but it ended up with Tri-Valley securing the win, 26-24.
Wrangell needed to win the fourth set to stay in the championship rounds. Tri-Valley’s ability to control the ball and cover the court instinctively gave them an early 5-point lead. Wrangell was able to get points on the board, usually by capitalizing on Tri-Valley’s errors. The Warrior’s solid defense and ability to return the ball no matter where it was aimed won them the set, 25-13, and the match, three games out of four.
The defeat sent Wrangell to the playback round to face the Susitna Valley Rams on Friday evening. Harrison’s killer spikes and strong gameplay from the back of the court earned her the player of the match.
Wrangell versus Susitna Valley
Friday’s game was do or die for Wrangell. If they wanted to have a shot at the state title, they would need to overcome Susitna Valley, who proved to be a strong opponent from the start. Though Susitna Valley’s ability to return the ball and cover the net was stronger than Wrangell’s previous opponents, it was Wrangell’s netted serves and out-of-bounds shots that gave Susitna Valley a series of points.
Play was interrupted several times throughout the match as errant balls from the adjoining games kept intruding.
Susitna Valley powered ahead, winning the first set, 25-14.
It was evident by the second set that Susitna Valley had power, but that proved to be a downfall for the Rams on several occasions when serves would land in the net or overshoot Wrangell’s court to go out of bounds.
Susitna Valley’s Alana Barron was on top of the ball, covering the net like she was in three places at once, blocking returns and spiking the ball into Wrangell territory on numerous plays, much to the Lady Wolves dismay. Play was tighter in the second set, but the win went to the Rams, 25-23.
In the third set, Wrangell’s Addy Andrews stepped up her kills, continually giving Susitna Valley a taste of their own strategy. That effort motivated the rest of the Wolves to work harder against Barron and her team. Wrangell’s coverage of the net caught Susitna Valley unaware, giving Wrangell a small lead. It was a serving ace that gave Wrangell their first victory of the match, 25-22.
With the championship goal on the line, both teams came into the fourth set aiming to win. Each side answered the opponent’s points with their own. The score stayed close until the Rams broke an 11-11 tie to pull ahead. From that moment on, Wrangell couldn’t catch up as Susitna Valley outscored them at every turn. The Rams won the set, 25-17 and the match, 3 to 1. Christina Johnson was awarded player of the match for the Lady Wolves.
State title
Susitna Valley then went on to face Tri-Valley in the semi-final competition. Tri-Valley beat the Rams and continued on to the championship round to face the Craig High School Panthers, whom Wrangell beat to win the Southeast regional title.
The equally matched Tri-Valley and Craig faced each other for four sets, with Craig winning the first set, 25-22, Tri-Valley winning the second and third sets, 26-24 each, and Craig winning the fourth set, 25-21. Craig ran away with the tiebreaker 15-6, winning the state championship title.
Reader Comments(0)