Last week’s Region V championship game between Craig and Klawock showed volleyball is a game of momentum, and Haines must somehow get back up to speed.
Klawock on Saturday avenged an earlier loss to the Panthers, pulling out a five-game, back-and-forth thriller in Karl Ward Gymnasium.
With both teams assured a berth at state, the two neighbors faced off for one more game to 30, which would determine seeding at the statewide competition. Craig, either demoralized or shell-shocked, made uncharacteristic errors as Klawock’s hitters found their groove. The result was an almost incomprehensible Klawock rout, 30-5.
Metlakatla, Skagway and Wrangell also competed at the Region V tournament in Haines. Play opened on Friday, with a Glacier Bear loss to Wrangell. Metlakatla eliminated Haines the following afternoon in three games, 25-12, 25-12, 25-8.
The Glacier Bear roster included only six players: two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. Sophomore Jordan Stigen received all-conference recognition.
To this longtime volleyball fan and former varsity athlete, the current state of volleyball in Haines is a concern. This concern has little to do with one weekend of competition, but factors that have arisen with the school’s move to Class 2A.
First of all, the Glacier Bears participated in two tournaments far from home this season. Last weekend was the only opportunity for residents to cheer on the squad in Haines, and it’s clear that local knowledge of the sport falls far behind that of basketball.
Fans at last week’s tournament were heard asking where the exact playing area is for volleyball and whether the ball may hit the net on a serve. So good luck explaining the role of a libero.
Players need to start into this sport at a younger age, and practice in groups. Also, with just one home competition, there’s little opportunity for fans to learn the sport. Wrestling faces a similar fate. Imagine only one home basketball weekend per year.
Also, there are some great athletes who are not out for volleyball. There are the usual Southeast Alaska factors like the exorbitant travel time or the costs for participating and the seemingly never-ending fundraising required to introduce students to volleyball at a younger age.
But when an athlete like Marie Yates of Craig, who bounds up and down the basketball court like a gazelle, is announced in pregame introductions, you just know she’s going to be a gifted volleyball player. Her thunderous front-row attacks did not disappoint.
Growing up in Iowa, I started playing basketball in third grade and volleyball in seventh. Volleyball seemed foreign and frustrating, but our school’s most gifted athletes – including five who went on to earn Division I basketball scholarships – were out for the sport, so I followed their example.
We eventually were diving all over the court, playing in a fashion similar to Craig and Klawock, where one wonders how everyone walks away without any broken bones. By high school, volleyball had become so entertaining that the only deterrent was having to wear spandex shorts in public.
Basketball was religion at our school with an enrollment of about 400 students. We just showed up for volleyball in August, after a summer filled with early morning basketball practices and camps. Volleyball lacked the tremendous pressure that comes with a packed gym and high expectations.
Soon after graduation, though, the new volleyball coach upped the summer program. There may have been some initial grumbling, but Union High School in La Porte City is now a mainstay at the state tournament. In volleyball and basketball, extra years of practice often trump natural ability.
It’s easy in the Midwest, where a team can hop on a bus and drive an hour to compete at any number of schools. If a team member finds the schedule too demanding, it’s “next one in.”
There’s no quick solution in Southeast Alaska, except to have the gym open as much as possible, even in the summer. Open gym time here is scarce and tends to be dominated by advanced, adult players. The off-season is when skills are improved and passions discovered, without hundreds of dollars in travel costs and another round of spaghetti dinners.