High School Sports

Lynx sweep their way through CIC volleyball tournament

The Dimond Lynx are 2-for-2 for volleyball championships and will try to pick up a third one next weekend.

Mia Ekstrand and Hahni Johnson supplied double-doubles to propel the Lynx past South in three sets Saturday in the Cook Inlet Conference championship match at Dimond High.

Dimond triumphed 25-23, 25-13, 25-18 to capture its fifth CIC title in seven years. Earlier in the week, the Lynx won the CIC regular-season title with a 14-0 record.

Ekstrand racked up 14 kills and 11 digs and Johnson totaled 21 assists, 14 digs and eight kills for the Lynx. Reilly Plumhoff added 21 digs, Alissa Pili had eight kills and 13 digs and Jayln Osborne provided 15 assists and eight digs.

South was led by Kylie Hurd's 10 digs and three aces, Erin Doner's 13 digs and six kills and Sarah Robinson's 11 digs and five kills. Laiken Monahan and Megan Petersen had eight digs apiece and combined for 23 assists.

The Lynx didn't lose a set in four matches at the CIC tournament. They swept East, Bartlett and South, which fell to Dimond in Friday night's winners-bracket match and again in the title match.

The CIC will send its top three teams to the Class 4A state tournament, which begins Thursday at the Alaska Airlines Center. Dimond is the three-time defending champ.

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In earlier matches Saturday, West nailed down a trip to state by outlasting defending CIC champion Bartlett in a five-set marathon. The Eagles survived a 25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 15-12 in a match that decided the CIC's third and final state-tournament entry.

The win over Bartlett moved West into Saturday's consolation semifinal match, where it lost to South, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17. South was led by Cami Houser and Sarina Gribbin, who each had 10 kills, and Doner, who served seven aces. That victory put South in the championship match against Dimond.

Dimond landed three first-team selections on the all-CIC team announced at the end of the tournament.

CIC all-conference

First team

Violett Togaga'e, Bartlett
Julia Fetko, Service
Brook Dexter, West
Danika Brown, West
Sophia Lestina, Chugiak
Claire Schimmack, Chugiak
Hahni Johnson, Dimond
Precious Fagafaga, East
Leanna Atafua, Bartlett
Erin Doner, South
Alissa Pili, Dimond
Madde Shockey, Dimond

Second team

Anna McGrath, South
Isabelle Watkins, Service
Shelby Dunn, Eagle River
Katrie Brown, Eagle River
Reilly Plumhoff, Dimond
Makenna Besch, South
Kylie Hurd, South
Kelsey Ross, West
Caitlyn Eastman, Chugiak
Kaylee Barch, Eagle River
Danae Stokes, Dimond
Precilla Fagafaga, East

Coach of the year — Amy Mestas, South

Academic award — Chugiak (3.7 GPA)

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