Prep volleyball: South Anchorage sweeps Colony in first round

Nov. 10, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE - The Colony Knights were not granted any favors for winning the Northern Lights Conference tournament last week.

Instead, the top squad after the NLC championships had the dubious honor of facing the defending state champion South Anchorage Wolverines during the first round of the ASAA First National Bank 4A state volleyball tournament.

Unfortunately for the Knights, South played like they wanted to be called the two-time defending state champions after this weekend is done. The Wolverines swept Colony 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-14) at West Anchorage High School on Thursday.

South finished the regular season 20-3, with its only major blemish coming in the championship match of the Cook Inlet Conference tournament last weekend. The Wolverines were upset by East Anchorage in the final CIC match.

So what makes this team so

special?

&#8220They have good passers, good hitters, the whole package,” Colony head coach Amy Carter said. &#8220Their big guns from last year are still here.”

South cruised to substantial leads early in both the first and the third games, but in the second game it was Colony taking the early advantage.

Juniors Hannah Curtis and Jamie Christensen teamed on a block to give Colony the 2-0 lead. South followed a Curtis kill with three hitting errors, and the Knights were able to enjoy the 6-2 advantage. Colony forced three more South errors, before Wolverine middle hitter Hallie Noah was able to put a shot just inside the backline to tie the game at 9-9. A 6-1 South run helped pull any momentum away from CHS.

Colony certainly did not lack energy. The Knights showed their enthusiasm on each point.

&#8220They're excited to be here,” Carter said.

The Knights only have seven juniors, four sophomores and only one senior on the varsity squad. After graduating seven seniors from a squad that finished third in the state tourney last year, earning a spot in the state event seemed less likely at the beginning of the year.

&#8220We've only won 11 matches all season, and eight of those came in the last three weeks,” Carter said.

Curtis and fellow middle hitter Kara Larson combined for 10 kills in the loss. Micaela Stein posted a team-high six digs, while setter Desi Diselrod chipped in 14 assists.

Colony now faces Juneau-Douglas in the second round of the tourney. The match starts today at 9 a.m. With a win over the Crimson Bears, Colony would advance into the tournament's fourth-place match, slated for Saturday at 10:45 a.m.

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