Thunder Mountain High School wins its third consecutive JIVE Championship. Back row (Left to right): Coach Julie Herman, Mariah Tanuvasa-Tuvaifale, Tasi Fenumiai, Kyra Jenkins Hayes, Audrey Welling, Alex Murray, Amy Schoonover, Sophia Harvey, Bridget Gehring, Hannah Harvey. Front row: Kiley Stevens, Leilani Eshnaur, Marissa Tanuvasa-Tuivaifale. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain High School wins its third consecutive JIVE Championship. Back row (Left to right): Coach Julie Herman, Mariah Tanuvasa-Tuvaifale, Tasi Fenumiai, Kyra Jenkins Hayes, Audrey Welling, Alex Murray, Amy Schoonover, Sophia Harvey, Bridget Gehring, Hannah Harvey. Front row: Kiley Stevens, Leilani Eshnaur, Marissa Tanuvasa-Tuivaifale. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)

Falcons fly away with JIVE title

JDHS finishes in fourth in two-day tourney

Thunder Mountain High School volleyball coach Julie Herman can always tell when her team is in the zone.

“You can just see it on their faces,” the first-year head coach said after a recent win over Juneau-Douglas. “That level of play is just this beautiful moment. It’s like where time stops and they’re just playing volleyball.”

In the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza championship game Saturday night at Juneau-Douglas High School, the Falcons were having one of those moments. After a come-from-behind win in the first set over Craig, the tournament Cinderella who upset Mt. Edgecumbe in the semifinals, Thunder Mountain dominated in the second set, claiming a 25-23, 25-16 victory and their third consecutive JIVE championship.

“That was earned, that was not given,” Herman said. “That was a hard weekend of volleyball.”

Audrey Welling, Kyra Jenkins Hayes, Mariah Tanuvasa-Tuvaifale and Sophia Harvey each had three or more kills in the win. Craig also had multiple weapons on offense, including Ashley Hansen and Kennedy Stumpf, but not enough to successfully counter the Falcons. It was the Panthers’ first-ever appearance in the championship game.

“I think we underestimated ourselves,” Stumpf said. “But when we finally believed in ourselves, then it came together. It all came from our love for the game and our hope for our team. “

The championship match marked the 73rd and 74th sets of volleyball played at the tournament, which began with 10 teams Friday afternoon. Each team contested nine games in pool play before moving on to the elimination round Saturday afternoon.

JDHS (8-1), Mt. Edgecumbe (7-2), Thunder Mountain (7-2), Craig (6-3), Petersburg (5-4) and Sitka (5-4) were seeded into the Gold Bracket while Klawock (3-6), Wrangell (3-6), Ketchikan (1-8) and Haines (0-9) were seeded into the Silver Bracket.

Thunder Mountain defeated Sitka in the quarterfinals before taking down JDHS 18-25, 25-16, 16-14 in an intense battle.

JDHS had lost its previous seven sets to TMHS heading into the match.

JDHS looked every bit the No. 1 seed in the first set against Thunder Mountain. The Crimson Bears were in position on seemingly every play, leaving the Falcons looking somewhat stunned. Thunder Mountain watched two Kiana Potter serves all the way to the court. The Falcons quickly found themselves in a 14-5 hole from which they could not recover.

“We watched Thunder Mountain and Sitka play each other and we just saw how much motion they had,” JDHS coach Brandee Gerke said. “So we got out there and I said, ‘Hey, this is the kind of motion that we need to have.’ So we got out there and they moved like that.”

The Falcons stormed back to win the second set before the JDHS defense made a sterling return in the third set. Sensing her team’s momentum slipping away, Herman called two timeouts in the first five minutes of the game. It didn’t slow down the Crimson Bears the first time — JDHS increased its 7-3 lead to 10-5 — but it did work the second time.

The Falcons tied the game at 12 and Tasi Fenumiai scored the go-ahead and match point with two thunderous hits from the left side of the net.

“It felt so good,” said Fenumiai, who had a team-high 14 kills. “I was kind of in the dumps because I kept missing and then that happened and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”

JDHS rebounded with a win over Petersburg before falling to Mt. Edgecumbe in the third-place game.

“It’s definitely rewarding once you get up and bring yourself back up from a loss,” JDHS sophomore JoJo Griggs said.

“Today we brought our cheering game,” she added. “That was good and that helps us keep the energy up and keep it positive.”

Both Juneau teams are on the road next weekend. The Falcons fly south for games against Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe. JDHS will go north to Anchorage and play in the Dimond-Service Tournament.

2018 JIVE All-Tournament Team

Shaylin Cesar, Juneau‐Douglas

Miah Dumag, Sitka

Helen Decker, Wrangell

Haliegh Ebbighauser, Craig

Marissa Haddock, Haines

Martha Johnson, Petersburg

Mady Purcell, Kayhi

Malory Smith‐Turpin, Klawock

Haley Sweet‐Cushing, Mt. Edgecumbe

Audrey Welling, Thunder Mountain


• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.


Gabi Griggs dives for the ball against Ketchikan during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Gabi Griggs dives for the ball against Ketchikan during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Lilyan Smith controls the ball against Juneau-Douglas’ Shaylin Cesar, center, and Addie Prussing during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Lilyan Smith controls the ball against Juneau-Douglas’ Shaylin Cesar, center, and Addie Prussing during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Lilyan Smith spikes the ball against Juneau-Douglas’ JoJo Griggs during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Lilyan Smith spikes the ball against Juneau-Douglas’ JoJo Griggs during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas’ Shaylin Cesar dives for the ball against Craig during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas’ Shaylin Cesar dives for the ball against Craig during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas’ JoJo Griggs, left, and Shaylin Cesar, right, look to block a shot by Craig’s Ashley Hansen during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas’ JoJo Griggs, left, and Shaylin Cesar, right, look to block a shot by Craig’s Ashley Hansen during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Kyra Jenkins Hayes, right, and Mount Edgecumbe’s Haley Sweet-Cushing compete for control of the ball during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Kyra Jenkins Hayes, right, and Mount Edgecumbe’s Haley Sweet-Cushing compete for control of the ball during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Audrey Welling, right, places the ball over Mount Edgecumbe’s Leticia Skaflestad, center, and Haley Sweet-Cushing during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain’s Audrey Welling, right, places the ball over Mount Edgecumbe’s Leticia Skaflestad, center, and Haley Sweet-Cushing during the JIVE Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

More in Sports

Metlakatla’s Drena Hayward (#15) passes the ball to a teammate in their opening game against Yakutat during the 75th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament on Sunday morning at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
75th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament opens with all harboring hopes for week ahead

Winners and losers not reading too much into opening games with some teammates still to arrive.

The Thunder Mountain High School Falcons Region V champion girls basketball team pose for a photo during practice at the Thunderdome on Friday. The Falcons begin state tournament play Wednesday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe / For the Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain girls basketball team ready for back-to-back state tournament play

No. 4 Falcons begin school’s final chase for a title against No. 5 Dimond High School on Wednesday.

The Thunder Mountain High School Falcons Region V champion boys basketball team pose for a photo during practice at the Thunderdome on Friday. The Falcons begin state tournament play Wednesday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe / For the Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain boys basketball team begins final state tournament play

No. 6 Falcons (19-9) open Wednesday against No. 3 West Valley High School from Fairbanks.

Hoonah’s Mark Prpich (22) drives the lane against Juneau’s Doug Draowski (5) on Saturday during last year’s Gold Medal championship game for M bracket at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on March 25, 2023. Prpich finished the game with 10 points. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
75th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament tips off Sunday

25 regional teams to compete for titles in four brackets; no Juneau teams playing this year.

From left, Lauren Shea, Chantale Bégin, Isabelle Côté and Noelle Helder propel their 28-foot boat Emma off the coast of Florida during a training run for their crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo courtesy Noelle Helder)
Alaska Science Forum: Marine scientist rows across the Atlantic

The first days were the hardest days, Noelle Helder said. Imagine being… Continue reading

The author and his wife ride a lift at Eaglecrest over the weekend. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
I Went to the Woods: All you can eat pizza

There are times you’re confronted with the culmination of your career as… Continue reading

Dallas Seavey sits with his lead dogs Sebastian, left, and Aero after his sixth Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race win on Tuesday in Nome. (Anne Raup/Anchorage Daily News via AP)
Dallas Seavey wins 6th Iditarod championship, most ever in the world’s most famous sled dog race

Dallas Seavey’s path to an Iditarod championship was like none he’s faced… Continue reading

The 2024 Alaska Airlines Region V Basketball Tournament mass pep band, a combined musical extravaganza of Southeast high school pep band members, prepare to play during a game between Haines and Craig last week at the B.J. McGillis Gymnasium in Sitka. (Heather Gluth / MEHS)
Region V Basketball Tournament awards

The conclusion of the Alaska Airlines Region V 2A/4A Basketball Tournament on… Continue reading

A pine grosbeak munches on some old berries. (Photo by Kerry Howard)
On the Trails: Animal tracks and pine grosbeaks

February had an extra day this year, a cold and gusty one.… Continue reading

Most Read