Nome-Beltz downs JDHS spikers in opener

Published 6:24 am Friday, August 25, 2017

The Juneau-Douglas High School volleyball team lost in their season opener at Nome-Beltz High School tonight, falling 3-1 to the Nanooks.

After the teams split their first two games, Nome-Beltz took the last two to win the game. Assistant Coach Dale Bontrager said the Nanooks are a strong team riding an emotional high in their first home game.

“They pretty much waxed us in the first game,” Bontrager said.

After shaking the first-game jitters off, JDHS then warmed up enough to take a game back.

“By the end of the second game, we were really getting them. We were playing a lot better defense, reading their hitters better,” Bontrager said.

But they couldn’t sustain that success as Nome-Beltz took the next two games.

“We had some stretches of brilliance, and we had some stretches of not-brilliance. But through it all their energy is positive, they stayed up,” Bontrager said.

JDHS will look for their first win at a 2 p.m. rematch between the teams Saturday.