Knights get past Wasilla in NLC tourney; clinch state tourney berth

PALMER — It took nine long sets and a pair of tough matches. But after a long day Friday, the Colony Knights are headed to the state tournament.

After suffering a five-game, first-round loss to Wasilla on Thursday, Colony rebounded to win consecutive matches during the second day of the Northern Lights Conference Championships at Palmer High School.

The Knights rallied to score a 3-2 (20-25, 25-16, 17-25, 26-24, 15-11) win over Soldotna in an afternoon elimination match, and followed with a 3-1 (15-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-21) victory in a rematch against the Warriors.

With the wins, Colony moved within a victory of a spot in the title match of the double-elimination tournament. The Knights face Kodiak Saturday at 10 a.m. The winner of the Colony-Kodiak match faces Palmer Saturday afternoon in the NLC title match.

Colony fell behind early, but won three consecutive sets to beat the Warriors Friday evening.

“We always knew we could really buckle down and do a lot better than we did yesterday,” Colony senior captain Mackenzie Everett said after her team’s win over Wasilla on Friday.

Colony denied a late Wasilla push in both the third and fourth sets of the victory. Arguably the key moments of the match came in Colony’s 28-26 victory in Game 3. Colony led 17-11 in the third game, but Wasilla libero Courtney Anthony served seven straight points to give the Warriors the 18-17 lead. The stretch included four aces by Anthony.

After a Wasilla net violation tied the score at 18, the teams played through six more tied scores before the game was decided. Wasilla setter Peyton Mobley dumped the ball over the net to tie the score at 26, but Colony was able to score the final two points of the match to get the win.

Led by senior Sophie Hall, the Knights also jumped to a quick lead in Game 4. Hall collected four kills within Colony’s first five points, as the Knights to a 5-0 lead. The Knights also led 13-8 in the match.

With the Warriors trailing 13-8, Wasilla’s Brooke Queripel served eight straight points to give the Warriors the 16-13 lead.

Hall helped Colony put the Knights back on top. The senior middle hitter tipped the ball over the net to give Colony the 19-18 advantage. The Knights would never trail again.

“We wanted to break our trend of going to a fifth game,” Everett said of Colony’s ability to seal the match in Game 4.

Hall led the Knights with 16 kills, four blocks and four digs in the match. That came after a 17-kill effort earlier in the day against Soldotna.

“What I love about Sophie, every time we make a mistake or something, she’s always like, feed me the ball, I want the ball,” Everett said. “She’s definitely a game-changer.”

Everett finished with 20 assists, six digs and two blocks. Ashley Turcotte collected a team-high 16 digs, with two aces. Courtney Mulkins added nine digs.

Colony head coach Amy Carter said she was proud of the way her team battled back after the tough first-round loss to Wasilla.

“I wanted them to believe in themselves,” Carter said. “(I told them) we’re not out. They have to believe in their ability, their teammates, (and) that they can win.”

Wasilla fell just short of a state tournament berth with the loss. After beating Colony in the first-round, the Warriors suffered a 3-1 loss to rival Palmer. Wasilla rebounded with a 3-0 win over Kenai Friday morning.

“Our seniors had the weight of the world on their shoulders,” Wasilla head coach Josie Cannon said after the loss Friday night. “They really stepped up and battled through it.”

Sylvia Tuisaula led the Warriors with 15 kills in the match. Amber Sizemore added a dozen. Anthony finished with a match-high 20 digs. Mobley led the Warriors with 36 assists, and Ashlyn Dorn had nine blocks.

Despite the loss, Cannon said she is proud of her team’s progress during the 2014 season.

“We’ve turned the corner,” Cannon said. “We have a lot of hope for the future. It’s sad to see the past go. I love my seniors. They’re great kids, every one of them. I’m looking forward to next year.”