The Kenai Central volleyball team moved to 7-0 overall in nontournament play with a five-set victory over visiting Soldotna.
The Kards dropped the Stars to 2-4 with a 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-27 and 15-7 victory.
Soldotna had been swept in Seward on Tuesday.
“A lot of girls were pretty disappointed in how they played,” Soldotna coach Luke Baumer said. “It was a big pill to swallow for everyone on the team.”
The Stars had a players-only meeting to get ready for the Kenai game. Baumer said captains Sierra Kuntz and Morgan Bouschor led the team and kept motivation up.
The one thing the Stars couldn’t do is get over the hump in the fifth game against the experienced Kardinals.
“We were relying on kids that had been there so many times before,” Kenai coach Tracie Beck said.
Beck also said the Kards got a big contribution from a young player in Game 5. Sophomore Jorgi Phillips had three aces.
The Kenai coach said her team participated in homecoming activites this week and made some changes on offense.
“Soldotna played fantastic, but I felt we were not clicking like we normally do,” Beck said. “There was a lot of great playing, for sure.”
Baumer said the atmosphere changed in practice after the Seward loss.
“If we continue to stay that intense, we’ll keep seeing rapid growth,” he said.
Kaylee Lauritsen had 16 digs, five aces and 20 assists for the Kards, while Abby Every had three aces and seven kills, Bethany Morris had 19 digs and eight kills, Phillips had three aces, Emma Beck had four kills and Valerie Villegas had 18 digs.
For Soldotna, Bethany Richmond had six aces, Bouschor had 12 kills, Taylor Edwards had seven kills and Aleena Zener had 21 digs.
Soldotna plays at the Homer Jamboree on Saturday.
