Prep volleyball: Knights sweep Moose

PALMER — Call it the exclamation point.

Colony senior Eve Stephens slammed her team-high 12th kill to provide match point in a 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 24-23) win over rival Palmer Tuesday night at Palmer High School.

The Moose trailed by as many as 10 points in the final set, but used a late rally to try to force a fourth game. A Hannah Decker ace cut Colony’s lead to a point, 23-22, but a net violation call and the Stephens kill gave the Knights the win in the third game, and the sweep.

Colony’s Gabby Wakaliuk served six straight points, a stretch that included a pair of aces, to break a 7-7 tie and give the Knights a 13-7 lead in the third. The Knights pushed their lead to 17-10, before the Moose began to pull their way back into the set.

Stephens used the 12 kills, four digs and three blocks to help Colony improve to 7-1 in Northern Lights Conference play. Wakaliuk added seven kills, three aces and two blocks. Isabel List chipped in six kills, nine digs and 10 assists.

The Knights have a pair of NLC games remaining in the regular season. Colony hosts Soldotna Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and Wasilla Oct. 27.

Palmer dropped to 1-4 in the conference with the loss. Mystery Showalter led the Moose with 14 digs. Gina Bodnar added 10. The match was the first of three during a three-day stretch for the Moose. Palmer hosts Kenai Central Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Soldotna Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.