Moose stay undefeated with volleyball win over Nikiski

Nikiski started Thursday night going shot for shot with the Palmer volleyball team, but ultimately dropped a 3-1 match to the Moose, losing with game scores of 26-24, 17-25, 25-8 and 25-13 in a non-conference meeting.

The loss drops Nikiski to 3-6 overall this year, while Palmer improves on their spotless record by moving to 8-0.

“We’ve been really focusing on encouraging each other and having confidence in ourselves, because the last two games we’ve been lacking it,” said Nikiski coach Stacey Segura. “I said no matter what the score is, you guys need to be there for each other.

“I think they got too excited and let it go.”

The Bulldogs kept game one close, getting big kills from middle hitter Jodi Cook and outside hitter Katie Costello, and managed to rally from two points down late in the game to take match point at 24-21, forcing Palmer coach Steve Reynolds to call a timeout.

Whatever Reynolds told his team apparently worked, as Palmer charged back with five straight points to take a 26-24 win, leaving the Bulldogs with a missed opportunity.

“I’m not disappointed in that game because we moved forward as a program, mentally,” Segura said. “The second game was awesome.”

Nikiski used a strong defensive effort in the second game to tally eight straight points midway through the game and take the lead, which they never relinquished.

“The Nikiski players were great,” Reynolds said. “Their setter (Rachel Thompson) was playing really well, and some of the time, I was telling them to do more of what they’re doing.”

Thompson had 17 assists to lead Nikiski. Libero Laura Hufford had 21 digs and three aces, outside hitter Rebekah Krogseng had seven kills and Cook had five kills.

With the match tied up at one game apiece, Palmer began to really strut their stuff, using a strong service game to stifle the Nikiski defensive effort, at one point holding a 23-5 lead. Giese blasted many of those serving aces.

“When your serve is working, you can just kind of throttle some points out,” Reynolds said.

Brecken Riekena led Palmer with 14 kills, while teammate Macey Buresh had 30 assists and seven aces, and libero Cassidy Giese provided 11 digs.

“The third game, I don’t know where it came from,” Segura said. “Our passing was really good, but we hit like 20 points into the net.”

Segura said her team played phenomenal defense, which kept Nikiski in the game early on, but conceded the fact that Palmer is a large school with a strong volleyball program.

“We were playing really fundamental, but we were playing really scrappy too,” Segura said. “Usually it’s one or the other, but we were doing both.”