HHS spikers make strides

HOUSTON — The Houston Hawks suffered a pair of losses during the weekend, but Houston head coach Greg Gaither is not complaining about what he saw on the court Friday and Saturday.

“We’ve been together about 20 days now,” Gaither said. “New coach, new system, the girls are doing just fine considering the time we have had together.”

Seward slipped by the Hawks in five games on Friday, defeating Houston 3-2 (25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 24-26, 11-15) at Houston High School.

“They were really good games,” Gaither said. “I’m really happy with the way the girls are playing. It stayed closed all the way.”

Houston jumped out to an early lead with a first-game win over a Seahawk squad that is typically strong at the 3A level. The Hawks erased a seven-point deficit in the third game to take the 2-1 lead in the match.

Gaither noted the play of middle blocker Arial Katzenberger.

“She was just phenomenal,” he said. “Her hitting up front and her blocking up front were both pretty solid.”

Gaither said fatigue after a tough match against Seward could have contributed to Houston’s 3-1 (13-25, 25-18, 10-25, 18-25) loss to Nikiski on Saturday afternoon.

“After Seward on Friday night, we walked out there [against Nikiski] pretty tired,” Gaither said. “We didn’t have a lot in our legs. The biggest thing for us, is the girls kept playing.”

The Hawks (0-4) travel to Wasilla to face the Warriors tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Palmer 3, Wasilla 0

The Palmer Moose swept the Wasilla Warriors 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-19) last week at Wasilla High School.

Palmer was down 24-19 in a key second game, but were able to came back thanks to its stellar serving. The Moose served 97 percent in the match.

Seniors Nicole Kenney and Sarah Svedin each posted a team-high 11 kills for Palmer.

Senior Ashlen Welch led the Warriors with seven kills. Junior Danielle Harris added six.

Colony 3, Houston 0

The Colony Knights scored a 3-0 (25-8, 25-6, 25-3) sweep of Houston last week at Colony High School.

Hannah Curtis led the Knights with nine kills, while Kara Larson and Allie Grazulis combined for 10.

The Knights also picked up a win over Service last week.