Nikiski stuns Kenai Central to take 3A volleyball state title

The Nikiski volleyball team had seen more than enough of Kenai Central this season.

Including tournaments, the two teams had faced off no fewer than 10 times entering the Alaska 3A State Tournament. With a 1-8-1 record in those matches, the underdog Bulldogs had almost nothing to lose in Saturday’s championship match against the Kardinals.

And they played like it.

Charging through the consolation bracket, Nikiski swept Kenai Central 3-0, forcing a set to 30 points that the Bulldogs won, 30-27.

“You know them so well, the girls know where to take their place on the floor,” Nikiski head coach Stacey Segura said. “We showed up today. My defense was incredible. Our game plan was to never back down. We’re not going to stop swinging. No one ever wins a championship by tipping.”

The win halted the Kardinals’ attempt at winning three straight state titles. Kenai had swept each of its first three matches in reaching the finals.

Conversely, Nikiski’s run to the finals started with a thud as the Bulldogs were defeated by Valdez in the opening round of the tournament.

“I don’t even know who this team is,” Segura joked. “We have been going up and down in momentum all season. Losing the first game of the tournament and dropping down the loser’s bracket and going all the way through, we definitely made a rough go of it for ourselves. I had a new team that showed up today, and they put everything together. It was really incredible.”

The Bulldogs looked confident in sweeping the title match 3-0. Kenai almost took the second set of the match to level it at 1-1, but Nikiski mounted a comeback to win 27-25. Nikiski closed out the final set for a 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-21) win.

With both teams suffering a tournament loss, the state title was decided on a race to 30 points. Nikiski sophomore middle blocker Mandee Roofe said the way the team played earlier in the day paved the way for the win.

“The momentum from the first match, it showed the path for the rest of the way,” Roofe said. “There weren’t that many people that expected us to make it.”

Kenai gained some initial momentum in the race to 30, taking a 21-16 lead when Kardinals middle hitter Avia Miller smashed a spike off the Nikiski block.

“You could definitely see the girls get frazzled,” Segura said. “I pulled them out and said we need to focus on one point at a time. You’re not a millionaire until you get that last penny. Every point has to happen if you’re going to get to 30, and that’s what we focused on.”

The Bulldogs slowly battled back and Roofe started to take over at the net. Back-to-back stuff blocks by the sophomore gave Nikiski a 28-25 lead. A few points later, it was Roofe smashing a kill on match point for a 30-27 Bulldogs win and a state title.

“It almost feels surreal,” she said. “It’s really exciting. It’s a massive upset.”