The Mariner volleyball team came out victorious after a hard fought battle last week against Kodiak, a 4A team in the Northern Lights conference.

Homer beat the Bears last Thursday in a home game after going into a fifth set, with scores of 25-18, 25-18, 21-25, 24-26 and 15-9.

“Kodiak’s a 4A school, so we were just hoping that, you know, we would be able to get a win out of that,” said head coach Stephanie Carroll. “They really pushed us to our limits.”

Carroll said she noticed the Mariners getting tired toward the end of the game.

“Hopefully that endurance will come, but these are the moments that we have to dig deep and be able to finish matches,” she said. “So I was really proud of the girls to be able to finish that.”

The Bears utilized a strong middle hitter and lots of tipping over the net, which Carroll said challenged the Mariners.

“They tipped a lot and we didn’t always cover very well,” she said. “We’re still just working on reading those hitters.”

After a week off to practice, the Lady Mariners are set to head to Seward this weekend to compete in the North/South Tournament.

“I feel we’re going to be strong going into there,” Carroll said. “I’ve looked at the list of schools who are coming and I think it’s our chance to prove our strength.”

Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.

Homer senior Marina Carroll jumps to spike the ball to Kodiak during a Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 game in the Alice Witte Gymnasium in Homer, Alaska. The Homer Mariners defeated the Bears after going into a fifth set. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Homer senior Karmyn Gallios hits the ball across the net to Kodiak during a Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 volleyball game at the Alice Witte Gymnasium in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Homer’s Sela Weisser bumps the ball to her teammates in a Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 volleyball game against the Kodaik Bears in the Alice Witte Gymnasium in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)