A day full of musical merriment – boogieing and what not – ended with all the South Wolverines falling to the floor.
It was just the way senior Tracy Rasavong and her teammates wanted it to go – in a joyous pile of state volleyball champions near center court of the Alaska Airlines Center.
South turned in an undeniably excellent performance Saturday and claimed back-to-back Class 4A titles. After placing third in the Cook Inlet Conference and winning three matches in the loser’s bracket, the Wolverines stunned archrival Dimond – twice. They scored a 25-19, 23-25, 25-11, 25-19 win in the initial match with the Lynx and then delivered the knockout with a strong 30-24 “if necessary” set victory.
“OK, this is the secret,” Rasavong said after delivering a 48-assist performance. “In the locker room, we dance around, we talk really loud and just sing our hearts out – just some hype music.
“This whole thing feels amazing.”
Rasavong, hitting machine senior Hannah Henrie, senior Elizabeth Johnson and South claimed the school’s eighth championship since arriving on the scene in 2005, and second under sixth-year coach Amy Mestas. The Wolverines also handed often-dominant Dimond just its second match loss in the final 19 outings of the season.
“We were third in CIC, every match was close and we came out (Thursday) at state and really played horribly,” Mestas said. “The girls really had to dig deep. We had nine seniors and there is really something to be said for that.”
Henrie wowed from the start of the evening and finished with 35 kills. She scored hammering hit after hit in the decisive 30-point “if necessary” set.
“Hannah Henrie has been that girl since our freshman year,” Rasavong said. “We all have trust in her and she trusts us too.”
Dimond dropped only three sets in the first two days of the three-day, eight-team tournament. South kept the Lynx, without senior setter Kayla Pili because of COVID-19 protocols, off kilter for much of the match.
“I don’t think we had the confidence we needed,” said Dimond senior Dayna Drury. “Having our setter out was huge, but the scared part of not wanting to lose and the fear of letting someone else down was also huge.
“We wanted it really badly, but South did a great job.”
Kim Lauwers
Let’s take a small step back to recognize veteran coach Kim Lauwers and her 32 years leading the Dimond program. Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, Lauwers almost assuredly belongs in the discussion for Anchorage high school coaching’s proverbial Mount Rushmore. She’s won 10 of the school’s 15 championships, her first in 1993. Her longevity and success rivals that of Dorena Bingham (basketball), Donna Dooley (tennis), Virgil Hooe (volleyball), Tom Huffer Sr. (football), Dennis Sorenson (hockey), the one-and-only Chuck White (basketball) and a few more.
“I heard and knew her name the second I knew what volleyball was and that I was going to go to Dimond,” Drury said. “Probably seventh-, eighth-grade, I knew she would be my coach one day.”
While adding another runner-up finish to her resume, Lauwers doesn’t intend on stepping away anytime soon.
“I always love getting to know the kids,” Lauwers said. “They come into Dimond and know we have a championship culture both on and off the floor. The joy comes from seeing them improve from day one to this point.
“The kids keep bringing me back.”
Even on nights like Saturday when South pounced on the Lynx from the first serve. Thanks to the pandemic, the Wolverines waited exactly one year, 11 months and 28 days to officially retain their 2019 4A title.
“The key word is ‘believe’,” Rasavong said. “We kept pushing.
“We’re always going to remember that final dogpile and the way we fought. Waiting two years, it was worth that wait.”
Alaska School Activities Association/First National Bank Alaska
4A State Volleyball Championships
At Alaska Airlines Center
Saturday
Championship Match
South 3, Dimond 1 (South also wins “if necessary” set)
Outstanding Defensive Specialist: Hazel Allen, West
Outstanding Setter: Abigail Gooch, Colony
Outstanding Server: Tracy Rasavong, South
Outstanding Hitter: Hannah Henrie, South
All-Tournament Team
Hazel Allen, West
Taylee Weiss, Colony
Hannah Henrie, South
Lauren Sulte, Dimond
Sydney Strong, Thunder Mountain
Elizabeth Johnson, South
Quincy Brown, West
Jasmine Hill, Palmer
Tracy Rasavong, South
Jolee Kelzenberg, Dimond
Abigail Gooch, Colony
Danielle Milo, Dimond
