A powerful win

PALMER — Normally the Colony High School gymnasium is home of the “Super Fans,” a raucous group that blankets themselves in green and white and follows each and every Colony score with a roar.

But on Thursday there were the “Grazu-fans,” a rowdy bunch in the far corner of the gymnasium bleachers who would absolutely erupt each time Colony middle hitter Allie Grazulis powered a shot in the middle of the Palmer defense.

Each Grazulis killed was quickly followed by a collective “boom” and a subsequent explosion of cheer.

And as it turned out the small, yet vocal, group spent most of the match cheering as Grazulis posted 31 kills to lead the Knights to a 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-19, 25-14) win over the Palmer Moose.

“We were out-gunned by Grazulis,” Palmer head coach Steve Reynolds said. “It’s harder when you don’t have the big blockers. You’re just doing the best you can to get the ball off the floor. It’s hard to mount a comeback.”

Grazulis, a multisport standout at CHS who helped lead the Colony girls’ basketball team to a state title last year, consistently rocketed shots on to Palmer’s side of the hardwood.

“She’s got it all,” Reynolds said. “She’s tall, strong, athletic, coordinated, she can jump. I’ve been impressed with her for a couple years. She’s a darn good volleyball player.”

Grazulis also have five blocks in the win that pushed Colony to 13-0 overall and 8-0 in Northern Lights Conference play, and allowed the Knights to clinch the North Division regular season title.

Although a 31-kill effort is not an average performance in a four-set match, Colony head coach Amy Carter said it’s the type of play the Knights know they can get out of Grazulis.

“It’s pretty typical Allie,” Carter said. “She comes ready to play. She’s a competitor.”

Grazulis’ partner in the middle, senior Kara Larson, also stood out with 11 kills and four blocks.

“They probably have the two best middles in the region,” Reynolds said of Grazulis and Larson. “It’s a pair that’s hard to match up against. A lot of people have one, but to have a pair is a nice luxury.”

Senior Jackie Hamann led the Knights on the back line with 39 digs. Senior April Bleicher added 22 digs, while junior Siobhan Johanson chipped in 46 assists and four blocks.

Senior Mikaela Bolling led the Moose with 11 kills and 13 digs in the loss. Senior Rashayne Zimmer added seven kills and two aces.

Zimmer and Bolling helped spark a Moose run in the first set that allowed Palmer to take the early lead in the match.

With Palmer trailing 13-8 in the first, Palmer used a 5-1 run to get back into the game.

Zimmer used her first two service aces to cut Colony’s lead to 14-12, and Bolling combined with senior Hanna Willardson on a block to cut Colony’s lead to a point.

The Moose tied the score at 16-16 with a Bolling ace, and took the lead after a Colony attack error.

Palmer wouldn’t trail again in the game, winning the first set 25-21, but the Knights jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the second set to steal back the momentum.

The Moose found themselves trailing by a significant margin again early in the fourth, as Colony built an 11-5 advantage, but the Moose used a small run to vault back into the game.

Willardson served six straight points to cut Colony’s advantage to 14-12, but Colony senior Emily Rich used three consecutive aces to keep the Knights in the lead.

Palmer is now 4-6 in NLC play and finishes the regular season in a third-place tie with Wasilla.

Colony finishes the regular season with a two-match series at Kodiak High School that starts today.

Kodiak is 5-3 in conference and will finish in second place regardless of the outcome in the series.

The Valley teams will depart for the Kenai Peninsula next week for the Northern Lights Conference Championships which starts Thursday morning at Kenai Central High School.

Colony 3, Wasilla 0

COLONY — The Colony Knights scored a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-15) win over the Wasilla Warriors at Colony High School on Tuesday.

Grazulis and Larson combined for 25 kills and seven blocks. Sierra Hodgson added five kills and nine digs.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.