The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears volleyball team learned last weekend that the ball can bounce in a different direction at any given time, in any given set and match.
“We’re going to forget about last weekend,” JDHS coach Jody Levernier said. “And concentrate and focus on this weekend…Positivity and that kind of stuff they are doing pretty good with, but we just need to light a little fire under us to ignite that determination.”
The Crimson Bears got a good look at the volleyball competition from around the state last weekend as teams gathered for the Dimond/Service High School Volleyball Tournament at the home of the Lynx and Cougars.
Pool play began with Juneau gathering one win and seven losses in a grouping of Dimond (7-1), Colony (7-1), Grace Christian (3-5) and Kodiak (2-6).
The Crimson Bears fell to Colony 25-14, 25-14; Grace 25-22, 25-15; and Dimond 25-15, 25-7; and split with Kodiak, winning 25-23 and falling 25-21.
“A real tough weekend for sure,” JDHS junior outside hitter Lavinia Ma’ake said. “We have definitely played a lot of those teams before and we’ve beaten them. It was really just an off week. We just know that we can do better and that is what we’ll do. We are looking forward to going back and showing them that we really can win, because we can. And we’re a really good team. I think we’re just excited to show them what we can do and we are not the underdogs.”
Ma’ake said the team always tries to play with a smile.
“Fake it until you make it,” she said. “Sometimes on the court it gets frustrating but, like, we see a smile and it is kind of like a domino effect. And so we just try to do our best and stay positive and it kind of shows off when we play.”
Other pool bracket records included: B – South 7-1; Nikiski 5-3; Chugiak 5-3; West 2 2-6; North Pole 1-7; C – Service 7-1; Palmer 7-1; Valdez 2-6; West Valley 2-6; West 2-6; D – Kenai 6-2; Lathrop 5-3; East 5-3; Soldotna 4-4; Bartlett 0-8.
After pool play, teams were seeded in Gold, Silver and Bronze brackets.
JDHS placed third in the Bronze bracket (1. West, 2. Bartlett, 4. North Pole). The Crimson Bears lost to Bartlett 25-22, 25-20 and defeated North Pole 25-20, 25-16.
“Honestly, we just keep a good attitude really,” sophomore libero and defensive specialist June Troxel said. “Like, when you lose a game and there is nothing you can do about it except try your hardest and know what you did wrong and put that into the next game. I think if everybody is down then it just brings the whole team down, this is what we talk about a lot, but if even one person on the court has a good attitude, just fakes it until they make it, that is what brings the team up. And that is what gives us energy so we can go to the next point, go to the next game and be a stronger team.”
In the top Gold Bracket, South Anchorage placed first, defeating Dimond in the title match 25-17, 25-15. Service placed third, followed by Kenai, Colony, Palmer, Nikiski and Lathrop.
In the Silver Bracket, Chugiak placed first followed by East, Kodiak, and West Valley. The Silver consolation play had Soldotna on top followed by Valdez, West 2 and Grace.
“I think we do a really good job of thinking everybody has bad games, everybody plays poorly every now and then,” junior libero and defensive specialist Cambry Lockhart said. “But we know we can beat most of those teams and when we come back to them and we’ll play much better. That is just what we are looking forward to instead of looking back at those bad games.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore June Troxel, sophomore Brie Powers, junior Lavinia Ma’ake and junior Braith Dihle look on as junior Natalia Harris puts a shot over the net during volleyball practice Tuesday in the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
For Lockhart the game is fun “because for me I really like the fact that the ball can’t touch the ground. So it is kind of like a fun, I don’t know… I’m not a hitter so I guess just for me it is keeping it off the ground and keeping it in play and always engaged and moving and it is just really fun to play.”
The Crimson Bears play in Palmer on Wednesday against the Colony Knights, then travel to Utqiagvik to play in the Barrow Whalers tournament Thursday through Saturday.
The following weekend (Nov. 8-9) Juneau will host Ketchikan for the Region V Championship, playing a double elimination, best two-out-of-three matches. Each match is best-three-out-of-five sets.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
