Nikiski volleyball comes back to top ACS

A Southcentral Conference victory over Anchorage Christian Schools on Friday night put the Nikiski volleyball team on the right path to start the season.

The Bulldogs rallied from a first-game loss to top ACS 3-1 in their season opener, with game scores of 21-25, 26-24, 25-20 and 25-11.

After getting off to a shaky start, the Bulldogs slowly began finding their stride and put together a consistent hitting game.

“After losing that first game, it could’ve gone completely downhill,” said senior Rachel Thompson, an experienced setter on the team. “But we took that loss and totally built off of it.

“It was amazing what the young people on our team could do. They did awesome, because you never know how a younger player will react.”

Thompson racked up 23 assists to go along with 10 aces and seven kills, and senior libero Laura Hufford ended her night with 30 digs.

Ayla Pitt recorded seven kills and two blocks, Brianna Vollertson had five service aces, and Lauren O’Brien added three service aces.

Junior Tanner Ealum led ACS with 24 digs, and teammate Hannah Edmonds added eight kills on offense. ACS dropped to 0-2 in conference play with losses to Seward and Nikiski on consecutive nights.

Nikiski coach Stacey Segura ended the night pleased with her team, adding that the opponent provided an ideal challenge for a conference match.

“I think ACS was a great matchup for us to start the season,” Segura said. “The girls could make mistakes and see what they were doing wrong, and still get back in it.”

ACS led Nikiski for nearly the entire duration of the first game, although the Bulldogs only once trailed by more than five points.

ACS continued to give Nikiski headaches using its serving game with a 5-1 start to the second match, but the Bulldogs turned a four-point deficit into a tie game midway through with several strong kills from Thompson and Melanie Sexton. ACS held match point at 24-19, but Nikiski never wavered in an impressive eight-point swing that gave them a 26-24 victory to tie the contest up at one game apiece.

“I said you guys can do this, keep fighting, you’re not done,” Segura said. “Once they realized they could do this, and got back into a system and stopped running into each other, they were fine.”

Thompson continued the strong performance with five consecutive service points to start the third game.

“I think we just got all our nervous jitters out,” Thompson said. “Then we started thinking, hey we know how to play. It helped a lot to build our confidence.”

ACS answered back with nine straight points to take a 12-8 lead, using a few laser serves and defensive blocking. Later in the game, with both teams tied at 20 apiece, it was Nikiski finishing with a strong service game, ending on consecutive serving points from Vollertson to win and take a 2-1 lead.

“We were able to relax a bit after that,” Segura said. “The third match is tough to lose because then you start thinking, we gotta win or we’re out of it. It was nice to have the girls relax after that game.”

The Bulldogs finished the night with a dominant fourth game, riding two nine- and six-point streaks to overwhelm ACS and claim the victory.

The win gives the home team a lot of confidence heading into next weekend’s Shayna Pritchard Memorial tournament at Nikiski High School.

More in Sports

Post 20's Jayden Stuyvesant flies out to left field against West on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Friday: Twins lose league game, win nonleague game vs. West

The American Legion Post 20 Twins split a doubleheader against West Post… Continue reading

tease
Thursday: Twins split with Service

The American Legion Post 20 Twins split with Service on Thursday at… Continue reading

tease
Brown Bears select 7 in NAHL Entry Draft

The Kenai River Brown Bears selected seven players in the North American… Continue reading

tease
Monday: Twins open season with victory over Bartlett

The American Legion Post 20 Twins opened their season in Anchorage with… Continue reading

tease
Area track and field athletes compete at Brian Young Invitational

The 400-meter relay of William Klein, Brenden Jones, Lokeni Wong and Tyce… Continue reading

Nick Varney
Reeling ‘Em In: Tourism season shifts into overdrive on packed Spit

On weekends, keeping your head on a swivel is a must.

Soldotna's Kristin Davis and Ruby Davis lead Kenai's Rustin Hitchcock at the Tsalteshi Backyard Ultra on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Dickerson outlasts competition at Tsalteshi Backyard Ultra

Anchorage’s Julianne Dickerson won the fourth Tsalteshi Backyard Ultra on Friday and… Continue reading

tease
SoHi 2nd, Kenai 3rd at Division II state softball

The Soldotna and Kenai Central softball teams both had the best finishes… Continue reading

Soldotna's Trenton Ohnemus delivers to Kenai Central at the Division II state baseball tournament at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna defeats Kenai for 4th straight Division II state baseball crown

Stars’ Ohnemus moves to 3-0 in state title games, 4-0 at state

Most Read