The Nome-Beltz Lady Nanooks punched their ticket to the state volleyball tournament next weekend after a swift three-set win over Kotzebue in the second place match of the Western Conference Tournament in Bethel.
The win capped off a weekend of emotional highs and lows for the Lady Nanooks, who entered the tournament with the goal of qualifying for state. Nome started the tournament with a three-set win over Kotzebue on Friday, a match Coach Kastyn Lie described as “a game of a lot of learning,” marked by uncharacteristic mistakes and nerves.
Friday night the Lady Nanooks faced top-seeded Barrow in the championship bracket — a marathon five-set battle that Nome ultimately lost.
“Even though we fell a little short, I’m really excited to meet [Barrow] at state now,” senior Benny Lie said. “That game against Kotzebue, that was a lot of fun because we were fighting for it. We wanted it so bad, and I think that we really deserved it this season.”
By the Saturday rematch with Kotzebue, the Lady Huskies were coming off of a win over Bethel earlier in the day.
Kastyn Lie said that extra warm-up time and practice could’ve given Kotzebue an edge. So, Nome took to the court over an hour and a half before the rematch to get warmed up and acclimated to the court.
“The more comfortable you can get with that court, the better that you play,” Kastyn Lie said. “Every court’s different… you have to get a feel for where you are physically at on the court.”
The Lady Nanooks opened the match against Kotzebue with a resounding 25-17 first set win. The team went on to win the second and final third set, 25-12 and 25-13 respectively.
“I’m just so proud of them,” Kastyn Lie said following the victory. “They made it known that it wouldn’t be our last game. It’s really emotional being able to come up from how they ended last season, there was a lot of anticipation this weekend, a lot of nerves.”
Throughout the deciding match, Benny Lie said the Lady Nanooks leaned into their strategy of emotional awareness and mindfulness, tactics they had worked on in practice all season.
“We were just all antsy, so many nerves and emotions going on,” Benny Lie said. “So something that we try to do is just breathe, reset, refocus. This group of girls — we’re really close, and it’s so easy to play with everyone.”
Kastyn Lie said the Lady Nanooks’ large senior class played a key role in the team’s postseason run. She said she reminded her players before the game that they had a chance to extend their final season — and the seniors responded.
“You do not want this to be your last game,” Kastyn Lie said of her pregame speech. “And they showed up, and they showed out.”
The team earned the Academic Award for having the highest average GPA amongst the tournament's four teams. Alora Stasenko and Benny Lie were named to the all-tourney team.
Next weekend, Nome will travel to the ASAA State Volleyball Tournament, where they’re expected to face the Aurora Conference’s top seed in the opening round. Barrow is also headed to state and could face an at-large team from the Southcentral Conference.
Regardless of the opponent, first-year coach Kastyn Lie said the Lady Nanooks are heading into its final weekend of the season with a sense of purpose.
“The progress that these girls have made throughout the season is very evident,” Kastyn Lie said. “They showed up to practice and they just worked and worked and worked. They had a goal in mind. They knew that they wanted to make it to state — and they did it.”
The ASAA State Volleyball Tournament begins Thursday, Nov. 14, in Anchorage.
