Strength in numbers proved to be an effective road map to help the South High volleyball team find its way to the Class 4A state final.

Six different players delivered kills in a pivotal first-set run that set the tone for the Wolverines in Friday’s 25-18, 25-15, 25-15 sweep of Service at the ASAA state volleyball championships at the Alaska Airlines Center.

With the win, South punched its ticket to Saturday’s state title match and will face off against the Wasilla/Service winner as the tournament was trimmed to three teams.

Defending state champion Wasilla stayed alive after knocking off Cook Inlet Conference champion Dimond in an elimination match late Friday, winning 25-19, 26-24, 17-25, 25-22.

South used a 14-4 run at the end of the first set to get on track and got kills from seemingly everybody in the lineup. Litia Momoisea and Ellie Birch had two apiece while Indy Kmet, Rachael White, Meadow Carr and Ellie Kleven each had one. Momoisea added two aces in the run that broke Service’s back.

The Cougars never recovered and were outscored 50-30 the rest of the way.

ASAA Class 4A State Volleyball Tournament
At Alaska Airlines Center
FRIDAY
Chugiak 3, Lathrop 0
Soldotna 3, Juneau 0
Dimond 3, Chugiak 0
Wasilla 3, Soldotna 0
South 3, Service 0
Wasilla 3, Dimond 1
SATURDAY
11:00am Wasilla vs. Service
3:00pm Title Match
South vs. Was/Ser winner

Kmet’s 20 kills led South as she took over in the second and third sets and helped the Wolverines sweep Service for the first time in three best-of-5 matches this year.

Kmet scored 10 points in the second set on eight kills and two blocks. In the third set, she banged home nine kills.

Kmet, Birch, Momoisea and White were also effective on defense and combined to score at least eight points on blocks. It effected the Service players, who started to go with more tip shots as the match progressed.

Early on, though, the Cougars came out swinging. They seized a quick 5-2 lead in the first set and later pulled in front 14-11 on Mallory Boedecker’s kill.

South bounced back behind Momoisea, who had two kills and two aces in the span of seven serves to spark the comeback. South clinched set point came on Jessica Gleser’s ace.

In the second set, things were tied after 12 points. But a Kmet kill got the party started for the Wolverines, who used an 8-1 run to surge ahead. Kmet started the set with a block and ended it with a kill.

In the third set, Kmet had two kills on three arm swings as the lead swelled to 13-4. Service’s Kiara Iloilo willed her team back into contention with two kills and two aces, but it was too little, too late.

One day after seeing their 48-match winning streak snapped by South, the Wasilla Warriors hit the court early Friday in the loser’s bracket and staved off elimination with a sweep of Soldotna before holding off Dimond in four sets.

In the nightcap, Wasilla built a 2-sets-to-0 lead after winning the first set comfortably and then rallying to win the second set after ending it on a 6-2 run that was capped by Allison Devine’s kill for a 26-24 win.

Dimond bounced right back to win the third set and at one point won 41 of 64 points to seize momentum. It didn’t last.

In the fourth set, Wasilla came back from a 16-6 deficit to break Dimond’s heart. If it wasn’t Layla Hays hammering spikes, it was setter Mylee Anderson dumping the ball when the defense least expected it.

Hays, a 6-foot-5 banger, was hitting the ball as hard as she has all season and Anderson was putting the ball right on the money. Devine was her normal high-energy, high-flying self and scored a kill and block on consecutive plays to put Wasilla ahead 23-22 in the fourth set.

Anderson ended it with consecutive kills, first blasting a ball to the back row and then fooling the defense with a deke as she raised her arms in celebration.

ASAA Class 3A State Volleyball Tournament
At Alaska Airlines Center
FRIDAY
Monroe 3, Kotzebue 1
Nikiski 3, Barrow 0
Seward 3, Monroe 1
Nikiski 3, Sitka 2
Kenai 3, Valdez 0
Nikiski 3, Seward 1
SATURDAY
9:00am Nikiski vs. Valdez
1:00pm Title Match
Kenai vs. Val/Nik winner