Heading into a midweek nonconference matchup on Wednesday night, both Dimond and Wasilla boasted undefeated regular season records. However, the hosting Lynx were the only Alaska team to have beaten the defending 4A state champion Warriors in tournament play, topping them twice at the Chugiak Invitational and once at the West Spiketacular.
In the first full match between the two powerhouse programs, Wasilla emerged victorious by knocking Dimond from the ranks of the unbeaten in four sets 3-1 (25-12, 25-16, 24-26, 25-16).
“We mentally prepared a lot for this game, and we also physically prepared for it,” head coach Katie Oxspring said. “Dimond is a really good team and the type of team that you have to prepare specifically for. It feels good to see some of that hard work that the girls put in and a lot of the focus they put in pay off.”
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She told her team coming in that wins over quality opponents such as the Lynx are not always going to be pretty or in a lopsided fashion in their favor all the time.
“They’re not always going to be by 15 points or 10 points, hopefully, it’s just by two,” Oxspring said. “That’s all we really want at the end of the day, those hard matches that are long but are grueling where we have to feel uncomfortable for a lot of the time. That’s what we kind of expected coming here to play them.”
With the exception of the first set in which Wasilla opened with a 6-0 run, every other set began as a back-and-forth battle. Just when it looked as if the Warriors were on the verge of sweeping the Lynx in straight sets, the home team kept their hopes of pulling off a comeback alive by overcoming a 21-18 deficit to take the third set and force a fourth.
“It’s what we expected and what I said when we came into that timeout after that third set,” Oxspring said. “We expected it to be a back-and-forth match, so we weren’t surprised by it.”
While she didn’t directly quote the iconic line from Ted Lasso about having to have a short memory when mistakes happen during games, senior Layla Hays said the Warriors had to have a “goldfish mindset” after letting a potential straight-set sweep slip through their fingers late in the third.
“We had to keep swinging and not change up our hit and keep being supportive,” she said.
Wasilla responded by dominating the fourth set, leading by as many as 13 points before eventually securing the set and match.
“It was such a team win,” Hays said. “We’ve been practicing and having a good mentality for these games, so just being able to bring each other up — and Dimond is such a great team — so it’s just great to pull through.”
The Warriors would welcome a rematch with the Lynx at some point down the road, especially if a second straight state title is on the line.
“In order to be the best, you have to beat the best and I think Dimond is the best, so it’s great that the girls were able to pull it out tonight,” Oxspring said. “I know Dimond is down a player, which makes a big difference on their team, and they’re going to figure out some different things to do, I’m sure, and be a different team next time we see them.”