The visiting Kenai Central volleyball team defeated Soldotna 25-19, 25-17 and 25-14 on Thursday in nonconference action.

The Kardinals moved to 2-0 overall in nontournament play, while the Stars are 2-1.

Both squads return a lot of experience from last season, when the Kardinals won a second-straight Class 3A state title and the Stars qualified for state out of the Class 4A Northern Lights Conference.

Kenai has four starters back, plus experienced role players. SoHi has starters Kiona Dexter, Veronica Crane, Morgan Simac, Sadie Lane, Abygale Schaeffer and Hallie Fischer back. Also, setter Sarah Brown started the first half of the season due to injury.

Soldotna coach Luke Baumer said the Kards were able to sweep due to two factors. He said his squad didn’t respond well to the tension of the homecoming match against a big rival, while Kenai played really well.

“In the Kenai homecoming game, the tension is always super high,” he said. “Everybody was like, ‘We gotta win. This has got to be a must win.’

“When things start shifting a bit, then people get frazzled.”

Meanwhile, Baumer said Kenai was clicking in all areas.

“Their defense was picking up everything,” he said. “Their blocking was solid and they were spreading the ball out to everybody.”

The first game was tied at 16, but the Kardinals defense was suffocating as Kenai pulled away.

Stella Selanoff had 38 digs, while Brynnen Hansen had 23 digs, Tait Cooper had 18 digs, Kate Wisnewski had 17 digs, Sophie Tapley had 14 digs and Ellsi Miller had 12 digs.

“Brynnen Hansen was a beast on defense for sure,” Kenai head coach Tracie Beck said. “Wherever they went, she was there reading.”

Kenai also picked up its attack as the match went on. In the second game, the Kardinals jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but SoHi cut the gap to 17-16.

Of the eight points Kenai scored to finish the game, seven came on kills.

Wisnewski had 18 assists, while Tapley had 13 kills, Selanoff had six kills, Ellsi Miller had five kills and Avia Miller had four kills.

Baumer said Kenai is hard to deal with when hitters other than Tapley are on. Beck said Wisnewski was getting great passes, enabling her to run the whole offense.

“We have great middles,” Beck said of the Millers. “Out passing was there today, so then you get to involve them.”

Beck also said Sarah Baisden had a smart hitting night in getting three kills, while Selanoff had a great night on serve-receive.

Kenai dominated the third game. Baumer said his team was good in the first two games, but the third game is when the homecoming pressure really had an effect.

Still, the coach said if this is how his squad looks on a bad night, he’ll take it.

“This little slump we had was not something to where the girls were not able to play together,” he said. “They were still able to work together, so I was happy to see that.”

Dexter had 15 digs, while Brown had 13 assists, Cassidy Kruse had seven kills and four blocks, Fischer had four blocks and Kate Curtis had two aces.

Kenai will play the Shayna Pritchard Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Nikiski. Soldotna travels to Homer for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday.

Kenai Central’s Brynnen Hansen steps in front of Tait Cooper for a dig Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna’s Sadie Lane attacks against Kenai Central’s Sophie Tapley on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central’s Sophie Tapley and Ellsi Miller put up a block Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)