Skyview blocks Warriors from semis

WASILLA — On Thursday, Jaxon Hill turned into a mountain.

The Skyview middle blocker recorded 16 total blocks to lead the Panthers to a 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-8) win over the Wasilla Warriors during the first round of the Northern Lights Conference Championships volleyball tournament at Wasilla High School.

“She came through big for us,” Skyview head coach Sheila Kupferschmid said of Hill, who finished two blocks shy of a Skyview program record for total blocks in a match.

Hill, who plays larger than her 5-foot-10 frame, added a dozen kills to her 16 blocks, as Skyview earned a date with defending NLC champion Colony in tonight’s semifinal round.

Three of those blocks came in the decisive fifth set as Skyview built an 8-2 lead en route to the 15-8 fifth-game win.

“She turned it on in that fifth when we really needed to,” Kupferschmid said.

While, Hill’s impact couldn’t be denied, Wasilla head coach Claudia Farias-Pinard felt an abundance of Wasilla mistakes led to the loss.

“My team is good when they play as a team,” Farias-Pinard said. “(The difference) was not one player.”

Farias-Pinard was particularly peeved with a fourth-set let-down.

Holding the 2-games-to-1 advantage, hitting errors proved to hurt the Warriors during the fourth set.

“In the fourth game we had 13 hitting errors and four missed serves,” Farias-Pinard said. “It was our mistakes. We gave away that game.”

Skyview was able to build a 7-2 lead in the fourth game, and kept that advantage with a six-point run later in the game.

Both Skyview and Wasilla entered the match with identical 5-5 conference records. The teams met early in the year, with the Warriors earning a five-game win on the same Wasilla court.

“We were able to pull it through tonight,” Kupferschmid said. “I thought a lot of my kids stepped up.”

Junior Alicia West posted a match-high 13 kills in the win. Senior Casee Penrod chipped in 27 assists.

Sophomore Sariah Tuisaula led the Warriors with 11 kills in the loss. Junior Aryn Crane added eight kills and senior Carlee Naczi recorded six.

Wasilla now moves backward in the bracket and will face Homer today at 3 p.m. in the first round of consolation play. In order for the Warriors to claim one of the NLC’s three berths to the state tournament, Wasilla will have to win today and earn a pair of victories on Saturday.

Skyview, meanwhile, is one victory away from the state tourney. But standing in the Panthers’ way is Colony, which entered the tourney as the NLC North’s top seed with a 7-3 mark.

“Colony is a powerhouse now,” Kupferschmid said.

Earlier this season, Colony earned a quick 3-0 victory over the Panthers at Skyview High School. Kupferschmid said the Panthers are excited about the rematch.

“I’m happy the kids have this opportunity,” Kupferschmid said. “Colony took it to us in three on our home floor on a Saturday morning. They played inspired ball. They’re tough, but now we get another opportunity at them on a neutral court.”

Skyview is the South Division’s only shot to bring a championship back to the Kenai Peninsula. The North Division teams — Palmer, Kodiak and Colony — won the first three matches of the day.

Colony 3, Homer 0

WASILLA — Defending NLC champion Colony earned a quick 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-20) win over the Homer Mariners on Friday.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.