Sep 22, 2023
Submitted by Katie Bryson Burns
The Valdez Buccaneers traveled north to face off against the Monroe Rams. The Junior Varsity kicked off the evening with an energized first set. At the start of this match the girls set personal goals which seemed to light a fire under their feet. Jamie Rupert, Paige Pedersen, Savanah Pruitt, and Ava Mitchell all met their service goals, while Mariah Dunning and Hazell Vanderpool met their attack goals. In the second set the team had a small set back with an incorrect substitution, but the Bucs worked through the distraction and pulled together for the second win of the night. The Rams put up a fight in the third set, but the Bucs sealed the deal and the overall match win. In this match the Bucs held control from start to finish. These players are really showing huge growth in trust in each other’s strengths on the court and building their own confidence. This weekend it was especially exciting to see Elaine Gilson throwing forward so many back row attacks.
The Buccaneer varsity squad stepped onto the court next. This week was unique for the team in the absence of head coach Maddy Alexi who was rooting them on from afar. I joined them on the bench more as a cheering squad than as the director of the show. Starting for the Bucs we had Kelsey Prax, Bella Smelcer, Momoe Togagae, Lola Compehos, Destiny Day, and Rylee Wade. The team came out strong against the Rams running a highly aggressive offense that showed off the talents of Wade (MB), Smelcer (OPP), Prax (OH), and Togagae (MB). Compehos really came alive with 12 kills for the evening match, most of which were a fast play shoot, while Destiny Day (setter) threw a couple of slides for Wade to knock down into kills. Day’s strength at moving the ball around the court to her teammates came across effortlessly, but really made it a challenge for the Rams to know where to defend next. Furthermore Kelli Malcuit, Prax, and Togagae have a terrific ability to slow the game down by making quick reads on the ball and delivering steady passes to Day. Both Marcedes Taylor and Jazlyn Gallitan had prepared all week for backrow serving responsibilities and demonstrated their powerful serving capabilities. When the opportunity arose Raina Wells stepped in to hit outside while Hali Fitca came in to play at right side.
All of these players, varsity and junior varsity, demonstrate their commitment to each other in practice each week and it shows in their performance as we represent our community throughout the state of Alaska. Great job this weekend Bucs!
