Prep volleyball: Moose claim NLC title

PALMER — Even when facing the most lopsided of deficits, the Palmer Moose know there is no reason to panic.

For the second straight night, the Moose prevailed after losing the first two games of a match, and Palmer removed Colony’s stranglehold of the Northern Lights Conference with a thrilling 3-2 ( 10-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-10) come-from-behind victory over the Knights during the NLC title bout at Palmer High School on Saturday.

The win gave the Moose their first conference championship since 2004, and snapped Colony’s three-year run as the queens of the NLC.

The Moose found themselves in virtually the same position Saturday as they were on Friday — midway through a match with the opponent boasting a two-game lead.

“It was kind of a deja vu thing,” Palmer senior setter Sarah Svedin said.

The Moose fell behind early to the Wasilla Warriors on Friday, but captured the momentum at the right time to claim the 3-2 lead. And on Saturday, the Moose once again suffered losses in the first two games, before winning the final three.

“In the first two games, all six of my girls were mentally ready, going after every ball,” Colony head coach Amy Carter said. “We played really well in the first two games, and kind of let down a little. Palmer was kind of working their way up, and they got stronger and stronger every game.”

Facing the two-game deficit, Palmer head coach Steve Reynolds said there was no reason for his team to hit the panic button.

“Maybe it was because we’d just done it the night before,” he said. “There certainly wasn’t any panic, it was kind of familiar.”

And not detouring from their game plan proved key for the Moose.

“No matter what the score is, we’re going to play our game,” Palmer senior Nicole Kenney said.

In a match that featured continuous back-and-forth action, filled with spectacular spikes and stunning saves, defense proved to be crucial, especially for the Moose.

“We had to (play great defense), because Colony’s capable of picking people apart with their hitting,” Reynolds said.

Colony brought it’s typically impressive offensive attack, led senior middle hitter Hannah Curtis, who was named the Northern Division’s player of the year following the match.

“We definitely had to adjust for Hannah,” Kenney said. “She’s such an awesome player.”

Curits posted a match-high 22 kills. Junior Allie Grazulis added 17 kills, while senior Kristan Coen chipped in 13 kills.

Kenney and Svedin each collected a team-high 19 digs for Palmer. But Reynolds said a number of Palmer players got key digs at the right time.

“The timing of things is also important,” Reynolds said. “Some different people got digs that didn’t necessarily lead the defense, but they got digs when we really needed them.”

While the Palmer defense was dominant at times, the Moose offense was far from ordinary.

In the final three games, from her vantage point on the Colony bench, Carter felt Palmer’s ability to hit the ball was a difference-maker as well.

Kenney led the Moose with 18 kills.

Reynolds also praised the work of junior Mikaela Bolling, who proved pressure on the other side.

Leading the Moose behind the service line was senior Geneva Ratliff, who notched four aces late in the match.

Top awards stay in Valley

Not only did the Mat-Su Valley sweep the three state tournament berths, but Valley squads can boast both major NLC awards.

Curtis, Colony’s 6-foot middle hitter was named the Northern Division’s player of the year, while Reynolds, earned the conference coach of the year honor for the second time during his nine-year run as the head coach of the Moose.

Five Valley players were also named first-team all-conference. Included on the squad are Svedin, Kenney, Coan, Colony senior Desi Diselrod and Wasilla junior Jenna Johnson.

Ratcliff and Wasilla seniors Ashlen Welch and Stephanie Bair were named to the second team.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.