Advantage, Dimond Lynx. For now.
In the latest battle between Alaska's biggest high school volleyball powers, Dimond earned a spot in the state championship match by dispatching the defending state champion South Wolverines in three sets Friday at the Class 4A state tournament.
Dimond won 28-26, 25-16, 25-22 to advance to Saturday's 6 p.m. championship match at the Alaska Airlines Center.
But coach Kim Lauwers knows better than to make too much of Friday's victory.
"It's nice to end up on top – for tonight," she said. "We'll enjoy it for about a half an hour and then watch tomorrow and see who we play."
South may be down after the loss, but the Wolverines are by no means out. The tournament is double elimination, and if South wins a noon elimination match, it gets another crack at Dimond.
A week ago, Dimond beat South in the Friday night semifinal of the Cook Inlet Conference tournament and South came back through the losers' bracket the next day. South beat Dimond in the title match to force the if-necessary match – a single set to 30 points. Dimond won that 30-17 to capture the CIC championship.
On Friday, Brynn Sulte racked up 12 kills, seven digs and three blocks and Anjoilyn Vreeland piled up 36 digs to lead the Lynx. Claire Dieckgraeff and Alissa Pili each added nine kills, Teuila Lolotai handed out 28 assists and Cali Clark had six kills and three aces.
Dimond trailed the first set 23-17 before rallying to win it with 28 points.
"The momentum swung our way," Lauwers said. "We just battled and battled and kept the ball in play.
"That was a motivator going into the second set. It kinda set the tone for that."
Dimond and South have dominated Alaska high school volleyball for the last decade. The two teams have won the last 10 state championship – with South taking six of them, including the last two – and often they have faced off against each other in the title match.
"It's always a dogfight," Lauwers said. "Two great teams."
Three teams remain alive in the losers' bracket – South, East and Wasilla. East and Wasilla square off at 10 a.m., with the winner playing South at noon with a sport in the championship match at stake.
East stayed alive Friday by cruising past West Valley in straight sets 25-16, 25-20, 25-15. Wasilla ousted Kodiak in five sets in the other losers' bracket match.
Class 3A
Valdez cruised past Monroe in straight sets Friday to grab a spot in the Class 3A championship match at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Buccaneers will face one of three teams still alive in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament – Monroe, Anchorage Christian and defending state champion Mt. Edgecumbe.
Valdez will be playing for its first crown since its run of four straight state titles in 2001-04.
In 3A elimination play, ACS rallied from a big first-set loss to take down Kotzebue in four sets 14-25, 25-7, 25-14, 25-14. Mt. Edgecumbe survived by knocking out Grace Christian.
ACS and Mt. Edgecumbe will meet at 10. The winner faces Monroe at noon in a match that will determine who plays Valdez in the 3 p.m. title match.