Journey begins for Mariner Volleyball team

Mariner Girls Varsity Volleyball is off to a tenacious start to their season. On Saturday, Aug. 20 the Mariners hosted their annual jamboree, inviting Nikiski, Seward and Kenai to participate in a round-robin style tournament.

Playing four games over the course of the day, the Mariners needed a combination of skill and endurance in order to succeed.

Largely they did succeed, beating Nikiski 21-17 and 21-12, and Seward 21-13 and 21-17.

Meeting Kenai in pool play, however, the Mariners gave up a set, losing the first 17-21 while taking the second 21-18.

Mariner Senior Isabel Dye commented on their efforts.

“I think we did really well moving from practice to a competitive environment, especially since we have a lot of people trying out new positions and since we have smaller numbers than the average team,” she said.

However, their small team size hindered them later in the day, as they were unable to best Kenai at the conclusion of the tournament, when they met again in the championship game. The Mariners lost 15-21 and 16-21.

“It was close. We were all quite tired though,” Dye said.

Despite a couple of hiccups, the Mariners had a positive first weekend of their season, with direction for the future.

“I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time with our coaches and my teammates…,” Dye said. “I think we all have to be prepared to bring all the energy even when we’re really tired and to want the win more than the team across the net.”