The Nikiski volleyball team got the better of Seward in a 3-1 match Thursday night in Nikiski.

The Bulldogs won with game scores of 25-17, 27-25 24-26 and 25-12.

Nikiski coach Stacey Segura said beating Seward was crucial since every conference win against similar-sized schools will help to determine eventual seeding the conference tournament in November.

“I told the girls in the locker room that these Seward and Homer games are most important,” Segura said. “They took it pretty seriously.”

Senior setter Rachel Thompson led the Bulldogs with 29 assists, 12 digs and three serving aces. Senior libero Laura Hufford added 21 digs, Lauren O’Brien had 12 kills, Brittany Perry had five kills, and Zykiah Cooney and Perry had two serving aces each.

Nikiski held game point in the third set, but Seward rallied back with a furious charge to take the game and close the match deficit to 2-1. Segura said that triggered her team.

“I think they were disappointed that they lost the third game, and they wanted to send a strong message,” Segura said.

Nikiski responded by nearly doubling Seward’s points in the fourth and final set.

The win boosted Nikiski’s record to 3-2 in the Southcentral conference (3-4 overall).