The Lady Nanooks volleyball team is the tournament champion of this year’s Arctic Pinkies tourney. Competition over the weekend included Cordova, Mt. Edgecumbe, Barrow and Bethel.
Point Hope also participated this year, but only in the JV bracket.
This was Nome-Beltz High School volleyball coach Veronica Alviso’s first Pinkies tournament win with the Nanooks.
It was truly a team effort, “their determination to win was evident as they fought hard for each point, played aggressive and undeniably earned the trophy,” Alviso said.
Pool play games began on Friday, Oct. 14, to determine seeding, with Nome emerging as the number two team behind Barrow. Then on Saturday, Oct. 15, the Nanooks lost their first game to Mount Edgecumbe, but then won their next three games to advance to the championship match against MEHS.
The Braves were undefeated in tournament play, setting up an almost David versus Goliath matchup with the Nanooks. But Nome won the first two sets, 25 to 21 and 25 to 22, which forced a deciding “if necessary” set to 25 points. This was necessary because MEHS had not lost a game prior to the championship match. Even with the extra opportunity to win, Mount Edgecumbe was out of steam and fell to the Lady Nanooks, 25 to 12 in the final set Saturday evening.
NBHS’s Kellie Miller, Dorothy Callahan and Victoria Gray were named to the all-tourney team. Gray was this year’s Arctic Pinkies tournament MVP.
During this weekend’s Arctic Pinkies tournament, the Nome team raised over $1,300 for young Killian Anungazuk, also known as Mimi, and his family. According to a GoFundMe page, Anungazuk was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.
Image at top: The 2022 Nome-Beltz High School volleyball team after their Arctic Pinkies Tournament win. Photo by Coach Veronica Alviso, used with permission (2022).
