Senior recognition at volleyball game last Friday

The Wrangell Lady Wolves hosted the Petersburg High School volleyball team last Friday night. This was the second home game Wrangell has hosted during the volleyball season. It was also a special night for both teams, as a senior recognition night was held. The Lady Wolves recognized two high school seniors on their team: Helen Decker (No. 4) and Ashley Allen (No. 7). Both seniors received balloons and gifts from their teammates, and the girls' family members were invited onto the court for photos. Decker also took time during the recognition to say a few kind words about her coach, Jessica Whitaker. Decker thanked Whitaker for all her hard work coaching the team and for supporting each of them.

"I think their play speaks volumes for itself. They're both very strong players, they're great leaders on the court and off the court," Whitaker said about Decker and Allen.

The JV teams played first in a first-to-three tournament. Wrangell took the first win, lost the following three games to Petersburg. The fourth game was close, with Wrangell able to take the lead and hold a tie until late in the game. Petersburg was able to pull ahead and seal a victory with a score of 23-25, however.

The Varsity fared better in Friday's games. The Lady Wolves were able to take two wins initially. The second game was especially hard-fought. Petersburg was able to hold a narrow lead up until the very last part of the game. The games were won by either team scoring 25 points, or by getting two points ahead of the other team if both teams were within one point of each other. Wrangell was able to take the win, at last, with a final score of 27-25. Petersburg then won the third game with a score of 13-25, but the Lady Wolves got a fourth and final victory in their last game with a score of 25-18.

Helen had a tremendous night on the net "I think that the girls took care of the ball pretty well on the service line," Whitaker said. "We were also able to pick up quite a few coverage plays, which we were lacking in even in our last seeding tournament, we weren't covering our hitters very well. We ran a few drills last week and they were able to pick up quite a few of those and get more coverage on the ball."

She also said that Petersburg did a good job in Friday's games. They were also missing one of their starting players due to a sprained ankle that game, she said, but the team still performed very well. Petersburg has some strong servers, she pointed out, and that there was some strong camaraderie between the two teams that makes for fun and competitive games.

After Friday's game, the Lady Wolves travelled to Petersburg for another round of games on Saturday, Nov. 10. The Wrangell volleyball team will be competing in the regional tournament in Metlakatla from Nov. 15-17.