Knight spikers earn sweep of Moose

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - The Colony volleyball team has an attitude.

Not a bad attitude. A winning attitude.

That state of mind helped the Knights improve to 4-0 with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-17) win over Palmer on Tuesday, at Colony High School.

"We are trying to do this thing where we try to play to win, instead of playing not to lose," Colony senior captain and setter Jordan Pokryfki said. "We go all out, swing hard and go for everything we can. Not pay timid."

That aggression, combined with the play of Pokryfki and fellow senior Kelcy Joynt allowed the Knights to make quick work of the

Moose.

"Colony's got some seniors that do a ton of their work," Palmer head coach Steve Reynolds said. "They've got a senior setter, and she's got great hands. That makes a ton of difference. It can make average hitters look great, and great hitters look incredible."

Pokryfki dished out a match-high 16 assists in the win, and Joynt added a team-high 13 kills.

Colony cruised to a 12-0 lead and 17-point win in the first game, but used key stretches in the second and third to record the sweep.

With the Knights trailing late in the second game, Joynt notched three key kills and an ace to put Colony back on top. With the Knights down 19-18, Joynt tipped the ball over the net and into a whole in the Palmer defense to tie the score. With the score tied, Joynt forced a ball through the Moose block to get a kill, and followed that point with an ace on a serve.

"(Kelcy's) a great hitter. She's tall and has long arms," Pokryfki said. "Last year I don't think she got as much (attention) in the middle, but this year she's moved to the outside and I don't think you could ask for more."

In just their third match of the season, the Moose dropped to 1-2.

"We haven't played for almost two weeks. It's hard to maintain focus in the gym when you haven't had a game in two weeks," Reynolds said. "You think you're working hard, but you don't have anything to gauge it by. I think that showed."

On Wednesday, Palmer and Colony each recorded wins. The Moose defeated Houston 3-0 (25-7, 25-14, 25-16), while Colony dropped East Anchorage 3-0 (25-10, 27-25, 25-22).