Raise the Roofe, hoist the trophy.

Mandee Roofe scored five of the final seven points to lead the Nikiski High volleyball team to the Class 3A state title Saturday after the Bulldogs beat Kenai Central in the if-necessary super set at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Trailing 25-23 in the race to 30, Nikiski flipped the script and finished the match on a 7-2 spurt to upset the two-time defending state champions in the battle between Kenai Peninsula schools.

Roofe, a sophomore, recorded three kills and five blocks in the if-necessary set and finished with 11 kills and five blocks in the championship.

Kenai came into Saturday having swept all three opponents at the ASAA state tournament to reach the state title match. But Nikiski swept the Kardinals 25-22, 27-25, 25-21 to force the if-necessary set.

In that decisive set, Kenai built leads of 10-6, 16-11, 20-16 and 25-23 behind its 1-2 offensive punch of hitters Sophia Tapley and Ellsi Miller.

Each time, though, the Bulldogs battled back. Hitters Alexa Iyatunguk, Evelyn Reichert and Ashlynne Playle took care of the offense while Roofe handled defensive duties at net and Kailey Steinberg on the back row.

3A State All-Tournament
Mikinley Williams, Seward
Kinleigh Newton, Monroe
Destiny Day, Valdez
Kailey Steinberg, Nikiski
Brynnen Hanson, Kenai
Aiga Unutoa, Barrow
Alexa Iyatunguk, Nikiski
Kelsey Prax, Valdez
Scarlet Galahan, Sitka
Kate Wiznewski, Kenai
Ashlynne Playle, Nikiski
Sophia Tapley, Kenai

The lone middle blocker, Roofe denied and deflected Kenai spikes for more than two hours in a Herculean effort. Yet she still had enough left in the tank to drive Nikiski into the winner’s circle.

Her kill tied the if-necessary set 25-25. She blocked the next point to give Nikiski its first lead of the final set and blocked the next point to make it 27-25.

Roofe and Playle combined for a block to make it 29-26 and Roofe won it with her final kill of the night, setting off an emotional outburst by the players as they hugged, high-fived and cried tears of happiness.

Tapley led Kenai with 16 kills, including five kills and a block in the if-necessary set. The high-flying hitter hammered the ball harder than maybe anybody else in the 3A tournament. The best reaction by the Kenai players came after Tapley flattened the ball.

In the initial title match, Nikiski swept Kenai in a closely contested prize fight that was decided by a total of nine points across three sets.

In the first set, Iyatunguk led the way with four kills, a block and ace while Playle pounded five kills. The Bulldogs built leads of 16-11 and 22-17 before winning the final point after two Kenai players collided.

Kenai jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the second set before Nikiski used a big run to go ahead 18-14. Tapley and Sarah Balsden led the Kardinals back as they took a 24-22. Nikiski tied it after a Playle kill and net violation and then won it 27-25 on Ellsi Miller’s kill.

The third set was back and forth and featured eight ties. Playle and Iyatunguk combined for nine kills as Nikiski won 25-21 to force the if-necessary super set.

It was an incredibly long day for the Bulldogs, who started Saturday by rallying from two-sets down to beat Valdez 19-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-11. Then they played another marathon against Kenai.