The Chugiak High School varsity volleyball team received nearly all the extracurricular activity they could stand playing three matches in three nights, Wednesday through Friday last week, winning two and losing one.
"It was a very busy week for the team, with three away matches in a row after a long holiday weekend," said second-year head coach Gary Steinfort.
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A crowd was on hand to watch the first-ever match between Chugiak High School and Eagle River High School volleyball teams Friday.
PHOTO BY DAN SHEPARD
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After losing to West in three straight games, the Mustangs bounced back with a pair of four-game victories, defeating Wasilla Sept. 8 and host Eagle River High School Friday.
Steinfort commended several of his players with particularly fine efforts, listing Joanna Schultz (serving percentage 96 percent), Brittany Bjornstad (21 kills), Sara Rearick (13 kills, 8 kill blocks) and Chelsey Nichols and Katie Larson with 39 and 35 digs, respectively.
No doubt the biggest win of the week was Friday as the Mustangs traveled to Eagle River High for the first-ever match between the two schools. After splitting games during an earlier tournament, Eagle River won the first game, 25-17, only to have the Mustangs rally for three straight games and the match, 25-13, 25-22 and 25-12.
Host coach Bobbi Souter, of Eagle River, said the match featured several incredibly long rallies.
"Chugiak really stepped it up against us," she said.
After the Wolves won the first game, the squad experienced some momentary lapses that figured in heavily in remaining games.
"We're still working on reaching team goals rather than individual ones," she said. "We're a defensive team - for us to be successful, it has to be about ball control."
Major contributors to the team's success included Nikki Viotto, a freshman, and upperclassmen Chantelle McVee and Mallory Givens.
"Mallory was very consistent. She had our highest hitting percentage and she played very well defensively," said Souter.
The Wolves faced Bartlett on Tuesday and travel to Dimond Saturday. Meanwhile the Mustangs hosted Service Tuesday and host Bartlett Friday. The school is hosting a four-way junior varsity and C team tournament with East, Colony and Homer Saturday. The tourney runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reach the reporter at damorse@ak.net.
