Submitted by Katie Bryson Burns
Sep 8, 2023
This past weekend the Junior Varsity Buccaneer Volleyball team earned 2nd place in the gold division of our hometown Valdez Invite Tournament. There were nine teams in all competing in the junior varsity tournament: Delta, Seward, Lathrop, Redington, Eielson, Barrow, and Houston. Our goal stepping onto the court on Friday was to earn a place in the gold division bracket the following day.
The Bucs came out strong in the first two sets of Friday morning against Delta and Seward. Jamie Rupert and Paige Pedersen set the tone of the day with killer serving. Both Mariah Dunning and Savannah Barton were aggressively attacking at the net forcing the Huskies and the Seahawks to play defense. Cersei Strickland made a middle attack against Delta and then in the following set against the Seahawks, she put up a great block at the end of the set.
Our third set on Friday was against the Lathrop Malemutes. In this nail-biting battle, Lathrop gave a strong fight. Pedersen and Hazell Vanderpool came alive attacking and blocking at the net which kept the Bucs in the game. Both teams exchanged point for point, but the Buccaneers were able to end the set on top with a 25-23 victory.
The Bucs swept up the next three teams (Delta 1, Redington, and Eielson) in big wins, but closed the night with their only two losses of the day against Barrow and Houston. Overall, the day was a great success. Every player was able to take the floor in multiple games. The team worked hard to set up attacks, both front row and back row, to put up an aggressive offense against each opponent. Elaine Gilson, playing libero for the Bucs, covered the back row with excellent defensive passing, enabling her team to run their plays. With teamwork and hard work, the team was seated second overall behind the Lathrop Malemutes who lost only one game the entire day against the Valdez Bucs.
On Saturday the Bucs faced Barrow and Houston in their first two sets of the day (the teams who had defeated us the night before). The first set against Barrow was a battle with some long rallies back and forth. Vanderpool, Dunning, and Pedersen were a strong front row for the Bucs, and the team’s serving overall was solid. Barrow fought tooth and nail, but the Bucs won 26-24–a great game. Houston was another exciting face off. In this set, Pedersen had double-digits for attacks, forcing the Hawks to focus on defense, and a Buccaneer victory of 25-21. The third set on Saturday morning was a humbling ride for the Bucs as Lathrop cleaned up with a 9-25 defeat. Our lack of communication and focus was a painful experience, but not one that made the Bucs shut down in the next set against Seward. Valdez came back into action and finished the morning with a 3-1 winning record, placing them in the gold division championship game against the Lathrop Malemutes.
Lathrop outplayed the Bucs in the final championship game. In the first set our serving really killed us with seven service errors. Going against a strong team like the Malemutes, you really can’t afford to give away the serve. Elaine Gilson brought the team back into the game in the second set with 10 outstanding serves, 5 of which were aces. Also, Savanah Pruitt made two outstanding dive saves that kept the ball in action for the Bucs in the middle of some rallies. Both sets were close losses at 20-25 for the Malemute victory.
This JV Buccaneer team is so much fun to watch compete! They work hard, make incredible plays, and are getting better and better every week. Thanks for coming out to support and cheer on the team!
Congratulations to Paige Pedersen and Jamie Rupert for making the gold division all-tournament team!