After a two-week hiatus, the girls high school volleyball team returned to the court, winning six of their seven matches in the second and final seeding tournament of the year. Their record was enough to secure the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Southeast championships held in Craig later this month.
The three-day tournament in Petersburg Nov. 7-9 is one of just two tournaments that determines the seeding for the Nov. 21-23 Southeast championships.
The Wolves got their Petersburg play off to a hot start on Nov. 7, brushing aside the hosts in two sets before doing the same against Craig later in the day.
The Petersburg matchup was initially closer than Wrangell head coach Brian Herman would have liked. The Wolves won the first set 25-22 before a less competitive 25-15 second set victory. Against Craig, it was a little more lopsided. Wrangell tripled — yes, tripled — the Panthers’ score in the first set (25-8) before merely doubling their rivals score in the second (25-12).
On the tournament’s second day, Nov. 8, Wrangell picked up right where they left off, beating Haines in two sets. The Glacier Bears put up a better fight than their predecessors, but it still wasn’t pretty: The Wolves won both sets by a combined 21 points.
The Skagway Panthers were the next team to show up to the feast; they just didn’t realize they were on the menu. Wrangell dismissed them 25-14 in the first set, before closing out a tight second set 26-24.
Wrangell’s closest match of the day was their final one. Lining up against Hoonah, the Wolves had won their previous 10 sets, dating back to the Oct. 24 victory against Ketchikan, but all streaks must come to an end. Wrangell won a relatively close opening set 25-19 but dropped the second set by just two points.
Anyone who had witnessed the previous two sets probably expected a close (or even a close-ish) third. That was not the case. Wrangell walloped the Hoonah Braves 25-14, winning the match two sets to one.
Once again, Wrangell’s Christina Johnson dominated the opponent from the end line. She boasted a team-high six aces and accounted for 14 of Wrangell’s 36 offensive points against the Braves. Johnson’s 100% serve percentage led the match.
Following the victory against Hoonah, the Wolves had two Nov. 9 matches to round out the tournament. They started off Saturday strong, skipping past Klawock in two sets. In the final matchup of the tournament, they faced Metlakatla. Wrangell dropped the first set 25-21 before the Chiefs completed the sweep with a 25-14 second-set blowout.
Herman said he was disappointed that the team couldn’t finish the regular season undefeated but hopes the loss can take some pressure off the players’ shoulders.
“I’d rather it happen now than at regional or state,” he said.
At the upcoming Southeast championship tournament in Craig, the Wolves will play matches against Southeast rivals until they win or go home. The top two finishers in the Southeast championship qualify for the Dec. 5-7 state tournament in Palmer.
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