Colony spikers power past North Pole

WASILLA - Without knowing much about its opponent Thursday night, the Colony volleyball team had little choice but to come out and play its own game, and try not worry about the competition.

Not a bad idea.

The Knights played as if North Pole wasn’t even there Thursday night, rolling to a dominant 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-9) win over the Patriots in a non conference match at Colony High.

“We didn’t know much about North Pole,” Colony coach Amy Carter said following the match.

Carter said she instructed her players to try and stay fundamentally sound and play together as a team.

“That’s one of the things we talked about is just staying focused,” Carter said.

Colony’s game was sound all around. Led by captains

Hannah Curtis and Kristen Coan up front, the Knights were able to dominate the net against the smaller North Pole lineup.

And when the Patriots did manage to get the ball over the Colony block, the Knight defense was there.

Coan led the team with five digs, while Desi Diselrod was all over the court for the Knights, picking up a game-high 12 assists.

Allie Grazulis added four blocks and four kills for Colony, while Siobhan Johansen picked up seven assists.

But the big story was Curtis, who finished with 12 kills and was able to put constant pressure on the North Pole defense with her punishing spikes.

“We couldn’t stop her,” North Pole coach Bill Wagner said after the match.

Wagner said Colony kept his team off-balance by moving Curtis around to different spots on the floor, making it tough for his team to react.

“They used her very well,” Wagner said.

Curtis praised her teammates for getting her the ball in good position to make the kill.

“It’s so nice to know who’s where and that they can get the ball to you,” she said.

The win helped Colony improve to 6-2 overall, and Curtis said Thursday’s easy victory is a sign that things are starting to come together as the season nears its halfway point.

“We’re really starting to gel.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 325-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com