The host Nikiski volleyball team defeated Homer in Southcentral Conference action Tuesday by scores of 27-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-25 and 15-11.
The Bulldogs move to 3-0 in the league and 4-1 overall, while the Mariners are 0-3 and 0-4. The teams have seen plenty of each other this season, with Homer defeating Nikiski for third place at the 18th Annual Shayna Pritchard Memorial Volleyball Tournament, and the Bulldogs coming back to take both conference contests against the Mariners.
Nikiski coach Stacey Segura said it was a tough win in a high pressure situation for the Bulldogs. The coach said the Bulldogs want to be the first seed out of the Southern Division.
“We’re trying to make sure that we’re doing our job on these conference games to set ourselves up for the best path,” she said. “And so that pressure is on them for sure.”
After a loss to Seward on Friday, Sept. 19, Homer responded by putting pressure on the Bulldogs all night.
“Our serve-receive was excellent,” Homer head coach Brenna Dornellas said. “Our serves in the first set, we missed only one. Coverage was insane. Blocks were up.
“It was night and day.”
In the first game, Homer’s Gracey Bradshaw fought off a game point at 24-23 with a kill.
The Mariners then had game point at 25-24, but Nikiski’s Blakeley Jorgensen came through with a kill. Jorgensen had a career-high 19 kills and four blocks.
“Blakeley is doing a good job,” Segura said. “There’s still some things I would like to see her work on. She’s still a sophomore.”
Abby White, who had 30 digs and three aces, then gave the Bulldogs game point with a serve Homer couldn’t return.
Segura said White, the libero, was pivotal in the win against Homer’s hard-hitting attack.
“I almost cried she did so good,” Segura said. “She had amazing digs. She was in the right spot at the right time, and she’s finally figuring out that libero spot.”
Both Nikiski and Homer are loaded with talent, but Evelyn Reichert is the lone senior who gets playing time on both teams.
The led to wild swings in momentum for the rest of the night, with Homer coming back to win Game 2 25-21, Nikiski taking Game 3 25-16 and Homer taking Game 4 25-15.
“Volleyball is a very mental and emotional game, especially with the level of play that we’re at with high school athletes,” Dornellas said. “I think it’s taken for granted how much that plays into games.
“So while they have skill and ability, I think a lot of it comes down to mental toughness and pushing through those five sets.”
Segura said this is one of the best teams she’s had, adding the squad is actually ahead of where’s last year’s Class 3A state champion was at this time of the year.
“But I definitely have more girls on my team that are strong-willed, or hard-headed,” she said. “So it’s taken a little bit of convincing and work for me to change their ways.
“We’re getting into ruts. I call them error clusters, or clusters of mistakes that they make over and over.”
In Game 5, Nikiski jumped to a 13-5 lead, but Homer’s Swift Blackstock served four points for a 13-10 game.
Jorgensen had a kill to get it to 14-10, then a Homer hitting error ended it.
Segura said experience was the difference.
“Having those girls on the court that were at state last year kind of helped us calm down a little bit,” she said.
With no seniors at all on the team, Dornellas loves where Homer is right now.
“It was my goal for us to set the pace and have that be something that they run with,” she said. “Offensive errors are going to happen. That’s volleyball.
“I’m really, really happy with the work they put in tonight.”
Halle Blades added 24 digs and two aces for Nikiski, while Milly Hornung had 34 assists and 12 digs, Mandee Roofe had eight kills and three blocks, and Addison Perkins had three blocks.
Dornellas said Blackstock did a great job serving and attacking, while middle hitters Madalyn Miotke and Jaelynn Kennon blocked well.
She also said libero Piper Fuchs and setter Alysha Nyvall were both on their games.
Homer’s Piper Fuchs digs up a ball against Nikiski on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski’s Blakeley Jorgensen attacks against Homer’s Madalyn Miotke on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Halle Blades digs up a ball against Nikiski on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski’s Halle Blades attacks against Homer’s Alysha Nyvall and Madalyn Miotke on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Homer’s Reilly Sue Baker attacks against Nikiski’s Addison Perkins on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
