Wrangell Wolves (from left) Kayla Meissner, Christina Johnson, Alana Harrison and Addy Andrews celebrate their win at the championship match against Metlakatla on Friday, Nov. 17, as their teammates start to gather together on the court.
Wrangell's Kayla Meissner leaps high to send the ball toward a waiting Klawock defender in action Thursday, Nov. 16, at the Southeast regional volleyball championship tournament in Petersburg.
The Wolves play their positions in the championship final against Metlakatla, (from left) Alana Harrison, Mindy Meissner, Christina Johnson, Addy Andrews, Kayla Young and Aubrey Wynne.
After a dominant showing in the regional volleyball tournament Nov. 15-17 in Petersburg, the Lady Wolves won the Southeast high school championship for the second year running and will head to state in Palmer Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
The girls are "pretty much ready for it," co-coach Brian Herman said of the team as they prepare to take on Alaska's best players. "They're playing the best they've played all season. They're playing at a level that's high enough to be competitive there (at state)."
Herman is coaching the Wolves alongside Shelley Powers, who has collegiate volleyball experience.
The girls won three straight sets against Skagway in their first matchup at regionals on Nov. 15, scoring 25-12, 25-13 and 25-8.
The next day, they took on Klawock. Though Klawock was ranked first heading into the tournament and Wrangell was ranked fourth, the Lady Wolves defeated the team in another three straight sets. The Wolves gained momentum as the games progressed, beating Klawock 25-20 in the first set, then 25-15 and 25-13.
"The girls were just playing really well," said Herman. "We played unbelievable volleyball."
On Friday, Nov. 17, Wrangell beat Metlakatla 25-8, 25-13 and 25-23. But the Metlakatla MissChiefs "battled back," said Herman, beating Klawock in the losers' bracket for a spot in the final championship matchup against Wrangell later that day.
Metlakatla pushed the Lady Wolves in the final game, handing them their first and only set loss of the entire tournament. Minor errors by the Wrangell team almost forced a fifth set but, ultimately, the Wolves beat Metlakatla and took the region title. Wrangell won the matches 3 to 1, with final scores of 25-15, 23-25, 25-10 and 30-28.
The girls showed technical prowess and mental toughness throughout the tournament, said Herman. They were "mentally and emotionally sound," he said, and refused to let small errors mess up their flow and snowball into set losses. The mistakes they did make came in short, isolated spurts and they refused to let other teams control the pace of their games.
"It was really, really fun to watch," he said.
The team doesn't have much time to brush up on their skills between regionals and the upcoming state tournament, but Herman hopes to bolster the girls' defensive game and "continue serving tough."
"Our goal is to come out on top," he continued. "There isn't any reason to go to a state tournament without the goal of winning."
Players Aubrey Wynne and Christina Johnson both received All-Conference awards, meaning they were selected by coaches throughout the region as two of the top 12 players. Christina Johnson and Alana Harrison received awards for sportsmanship.
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