After competing in away games all season, Haines High School’s volleyball team will welcome five regional opponents for a two-day tournament starting Friday.
“It’s important and everybody’s here, all six teams,” said coach Judy Erekson. “Fifteen games, and everybody plays everybody once.”
Athletes from Craig, Klawock, Metlakatla, Skagway and Wrangell will make the trip for the seeding tournament that helps determine team rankings for the Dec. 6-7 regional competition in Klawock.
“There are going to be some really good games,” Erekson said. “Craig, I think, is still undefeated, so they’re fun to watch, unless you’re on the other side.”
Haines opens the tournament 1:30 p.m. Friday against Metlakatla. The Glacier Bears then face Klawock at 7:30 p.m.
The Saturday slate for Haines includes Skagway, 10:30 a.m.; Craig, 4:30 p.m.; and Wrangell, 7:30 p.m. The Wrangell match will be a send-off for seniors Coral Bauer, Libby Jacobson, Adalee Lari and Jamie Messerschmidt.
“We’re really excited to host the tournament, and looking forward to showing our hometown what this team’s all about this year,” said coach Liana Shull. “The girls have been working really hard, so it’s kind of their time to show people what they’ve got.”
Play on Saturday is set to stretch from 9 a.m. to past 9 p.m.
Haines warmed up for its home tournament in Skagway last weekend, with the varsity sweeping three matches. The Glacier Bears topped Skagway twice, 25-18, 25-22, 25-12 and 25-20, 25-12, 25-19. Haines also defeated F.H. Collins of Whitehorse, Y.T., 25-18, 25-21, 25-23.
“It was really fun to play Whitehorse, a team that we’ve never seen,” Shull said. “They play a little quicker game, offensively, so we had to adjust to that.”
The Haines junior varsity also had playing time against the Skagway and Whitehorse squads.
At the Glacier Bears’ previous seeding tournament at Metlakatla in October, the varsity tallied a 1-4 record, but took Klawock and Metlakatla to four games and Wrangell to five. Haines aims to improve on that result at home.
“It’s still a seeding tournament, so it’s important in terms of how we do, but what’s more important, I think, is that we are continuing to get better,” Shull said.
Matches this weekend will be streamed at hbsd.net.