Moose finish 3rd at West Valley Invite

WASILLA — The Palmer Moose used a win over a rival to finish third in the gold division of the West Valley Invitational Oct. 12 in Fairbanks.

Palmer edged Wasilla 2-1 (16-14, 11-15, 11-9) in the third-place match. Both Palmer and Colony reached the West Valley Invite semifinals, but fell. Host West Valley beat Colony in the semis, while Monroe Catholic moved forward with a semifinal victory over the Moose.

West Valley beat Monroe in the all-Fairbanks final.

Palmer’s Sammy Buresh and Carly Venzke were among four Valley players named to the all-tournament team. Colony’s Mikara Klawitter and Wasilla’s Leya DePriest were also recognized.

Palmer started its trip in Fairbanks with a 3-2 (25-17, 24-26, 25-13, 27-29, 15-9) win at Lathrop.

Hawks fall on Peninsula

The Houston Hawks suffered a pair of close matches in Southcentral Conference action on the Kenai Peninsula last weekend.

Friday, Nikiski slipped past the Hawks 3-2 (21, 25, 25-11, 21-25, 25-12, 15-9).

Host Homer edged Houston 3-2 (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 15-13) on Saturday.