Juneau jams at Jamboree
With a new rally scoring rule and several new players this season, this weekend's Jamboree was all about adjustments for the Juneau-Douglas High School volleyball team.
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The Juneau 1 team, which featured two-thirds of the Crimson Bear varsity squad, posted an undefeated record in the low-key mini-tournament held Friday and Saturday at the JDHS main and auxiliary gyms.
"Everyone played great," Juneau head coach Sandi Wagner said. "We did very well for our first time out. We have some stuff to work on, but I was very excited with the way we played. This was good experience for them."
Records weren't officially kept for the Jamboree, as coaches used the tournament to experiment with their rosters before the season begins in earnest next week. Juneau had six teams, Sitka had four, Ketchikan three and Wrangell sent one for the weekend.
"We've been messing with all our lineups and getting ready for the season," Juneau 1 sophomore middle blocker Lesley Kalbrener said. "We were all checking each other out. Sitka's improved a lot since last year. Our Juneau 1 team was undefeated and it was amazing how well we did."
"It was nice, but it was confusing," Juneau 1 sophomore setter Rochele Rodman said. "It's really different than last year, with the new rules and the players are different. I think we did really good."
Even with a lot of turnover from the team that won state last season, the Crimson Bears feel good about how they played this weekend and what that means for this season.
The Crimson Bears open their season at Sitka this Friday and Saturday, and Juneau 1 closed out the Jamboree with a 25-17, 25-14 victory over Sitka 1 in the Jamboree's finale Saturday night.
"It was nice, so we get adjusted," Juneau 1 junior Amber Johnson said of the low-pressure Jamboree. "But it was stressful at the same time. I feel really excited. I think we're ready for anything."