Optimism is a great motivator, but it doesn’t guarantee success. Sometimes seeing is believing.
That was the case for the Service volleyball team.
The Cougars had fallen on hard times in their Southside rivalry and hadn’t beaten the South Wolverines in a Cook Inlet Conference league match in at least 10 years.
But that all changed Friday night, when Service earned a 25-17, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23 victory at South to snap a decade-long losing streak.
“Service hasn’t beat South in a conference match for as long as I can remember, so this felt really special,” said Service coach Austin Osborne. “Service has slowly been a lot more competitive the last few years but still never managed to get a win over South.
“I’m hoping this will really convince them that they have all the tools they need to be successful this year.”
A big student section from Service showed up to help the Cougars show out on the court.
Volleyball is a game of runs and staying upbeat is key, and energy from the crowd can help push players over the top.
“Having that support is important,” Osborne said.
Dakota Evans led Service with 14 kills while Paige Miller added 10. Evans slammed home match point to put an explanation mark on the victory.
Just a sophomore, Evans is a 5-foot-8 outside hitter who jumps high, hits hard and uses the entire court as her canvas.
“She’s a really versatile player and she’s made huge improvements since her freshman season,” Osborne said. “Dakota really shined in the game against South, and I think she will continue to be an impact player for us.”
Service’s game-winning rally went something like this: libero Rylie Widener passed to setter Vanessa Wynn who fed Evans for the kill shot, a fitting ending given how instrumental those three were in the win.
Evans led the team in kills, Wynn racked up 17 assists and Widener made 15 digs. In addition, Kiara Iloilo added 14 assists and five kills and Jaelyn Lorenzo had seven aces.
“A freshman led us in aces, a sophomore led us in kills, a junior setter piloted our offense and a senior led us in digs,” Osborne said. “It’s nice to know that if someone has an off night, we have a lot of other players who can step up and make contributions.
“Balance will be especially important since we do have some really young talent on the team, but we also have some veteran seniors with lots of experience. That will be important as we get deeper into the season and look to get a bid to state.”
Back in the day, Service was the premier program in the state, winning five championships between 1985 and 1990 and six titles between 1997 and 2004.
But that all changed when South opened in the fall of 2004. The Cougars haven’t won a state title since then as South became the new Service, winning eight state titles since 2005.
“I do think this was a really good first step in re-establishing Service as a contender on the volleyball court,” Osborne said. “Service went a lot of years without much success, while South and Dimond, the other Southside schools, are incredibly successful year in and year out.”
This Service squad isn’t interested in the past. The Cougars want to carve their own path and create their own legacy.
“It’s been two decades since Service made state, but this group isn’t bothered by that. I think they see it as a challenge,” Osborne said.
Osborne is a former Service assistant who said Friday’s win over South had been a long time coming, dating back to when former coach Morgan Hooe was on the bench.
Hooe is Alaska volleyball royalty. Not only is she the daughter of legendary coach Virgil Hooe, but she was a legendary player.
The 2011 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year, Hooe led South to an undefeated season as a junior and went on to become a star at UAA. With the Seawolves she became the first UAA setter to earn All-American honors and as a junior and won West Region and GNAC Player of the Year as a senior.
“She was really invested in building a winning culture at Service, and I’m really excited to continue that work,” Osborne said.