The host Homer volleyball team defeated Soldotna 25-13, 21-25, 25-18 and 25-22 on Tuesday in nonconference action.
The Mariners are now 3-1 overall in nontournament play, while Soldotna is 1-3.
Soldotna coach Luke Baumer had plenty of praise for Homer.
“I’ve got to give credit to the Homer defense,” Baumer said. “We could not put the ball away. They were super scrappy and just when we thought we had it, they found a way to get the ball back over.”
Baumer said Homer outside hitter Gracie Gummer did a ton of damage, piling up 17 kills. The SoHi coach also said Homer libero Zoe Adkins, who had three aces, led a great passing effort, and Homer setter Brooke Shafer, who had 29 assists and three aces, put the ball right where Gummer needed it.
The Stars have been able to get a lot of teams out of system with a strong serving game, but Baumer said Homer was able to run the offense despite Soldotna’s strong serving.
For Soldotna, Katelyn Morrison and Chloe Armstrong had eight kills, while Adarra Hagelund and Regan Hunt had two blocks, Aleena Zener had two aces and Emma Brantley had 16 assists.
Due to the pandemic, volleyball players haven’t gotten in a bunch of match play in the last two years. Baumer said he sees this showing up most in the hit or miss performances of most teams. The coach said when teams start struggling, as the Stars did Tuesday, they don’t have the experience to work through it.
“Our biggest issue right now is trying to find that chemistry on the court,” Baumer said.
Soldotna’s varsity hosts Kenai on Thursday at 6 p.m.
