Knights crowned "Queens of Cabbage"

PALMER -- Pasadena has the Rose Bowl, Wasilla and Palmer football have the Potato Bowl and Valley volleyball has a bowl of its own -- the Cabbage Bowl.

The annual event took place for the third time Tuesday, and Colony (5-0; 8-3 overall) cruised to victory over Palmer (0-3; 3-8) to claim the trophy for the first time.

Concerning volleyball matches, there are few around these parts that are more fun and festive than the annual Cabbage Bowl. Three years ago, the Colony High volleyball boosters had an idea. They decided to create an event that would generate excitement and exposure for the Colony team. They settled on the Cabbage Bowl, and Tuesday was proof that it has been a success.

"It's been a good thing. The Colony Boosters have done a great job with it," Colony head coach Faith Scott said. "The crowd was the biggest we've had all year."

In testament to the fun and the name of the event, before the game began they featured cabbage bowling. Members of each school's faculty squared off as the crowd looked on and got a few chuckles. Colony claimed the first victory of the night when athletic director Mike Boyd rolled his way to victory for the coveted honor of winning.

The booster club had another wonderful idea by sponsoring a unique version of the 50-50 raffle. True to the theme, people who purchased tickets attempted to guess the weight of a cabbage for some dinero. Colony picked up a second win when a student won that competition and walked away a little richer.

Once the actual game started Colony didn't waste any time, immediately jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first game. Palmer quickly took the lead back at 6-3, but it wasn't meant to last. The Knights went on a run to the tune of seven points and never looked back, taking game one 24-14.

"I thought the last part of game one we played well. We're a young team and working to improve," said Palmer coach Steve Reynolds.

The second game was more competitive, with a few scattered rallies and big plays. Palmer put up a fight the whole way through, proving that they can play. With the score 4-1 and Colony putting on the pressure, Palmer's Karaline Naegele dropped the hammer with a solid kill.

"Karaline had a good match," said Reynolds.

With the scoreboard reading 9-6 in favor of Colony, one of the best rallies of the night ensued. After bouncing back and forth, the ball finally fell on the Palmer side of the court after a Colony block.

"When I look out at the Colony defense on the floor, that's what I want us (Palmer) to look like. They play defense the way defense should be played," Reynolds said.

The Knights again won a long rally with the score at 14-8 to go up by seven. Colony's Kelcey Joynt made her presence felt with a thundering kill to bring the tally to 17-9. "Kelcey really stepped it up, she played awesome," said Scott.

Not to be outdone, Naegele answered twice more in the game with another swift kill and a perfectly placed tip that found the soft spot in the Colony defense. Despite her best efforts, the Knights again prevailed 25-15 after earning their last point by winning another rally.

The Knights were up 2-0 heading into the third game. As soon as they decided they could take a breath and relax, the Moose came charging right back at them. Behind solid passing, they jumped ahead of the Knights 17-10. Scott said, "The third game is our curse. We seem to let down a little bit, and the other team gets a few points and gets motivated. It's been our weakness all year."

In a moment of crisis, a team always looks to its leader. That's exactly what the Knights did. Coach Scott called a timeout and brought in two-year captain and team leader Amanda Aafedt to stem the tide. Almost immediately Aafedt and the Knights surged back into the game. Colony rattled off a 6-1 run and forced Reynolds to reign in the Moose for a timeout. "We've been working on gaining consistency so we don't have to rely on the big plays. We're getting there," said Reynolds.

The Moose emerged from the timeout calm and collected, and the game was all locked up at 21 with both cheering sections of the crowd pumped. Colony outside-hitter Rochelle Ray stepped into the server's spot and was money. She cashed-in in the clutch and delivered back-to-back aces to go up by two. That final blow proved to be the last the Moose could take and the Knights won game three 25-22, with the final point being a kill by none other then Aafedt. The Knights had won the match and swept the Moose three games to none.

"Colony is just plain good. Very good. I hope the players can take something away from playing against them. You can always learn from good teams," said Reynolds.

If the third game of the match was any indication, the Moose already have. Naegele led the Palmer Moose with eleven kills and seventeen digs, and Brittany Vaughan chipped in with twelve digs of her own.

"We need to stay healthy and keep on working hard. If we do, good things will come," said Scott.

With their fifth straight region win and third over Palmer this season, the Knights have won the Cabbage Bowl for the first time since its inception. After that victory they deserve a higher rank than the Knights. They are now, certifiably, the Queens of the Cabbage.