Southcentral Conference teams put on good show at 3A state volleyball

The Kenai Kardinals have never won a state volleyball title but they took two big steps in the right direction Thursday at the Class 3A state tournament.

Kenai Central dispatched two opponents to cruise into Friday’s winners-bracket match at the Alaska Airlines Center. The Kards knocked off Barrow in a four-set first-round match and then dispatched Sitka in a three-set winners-bracket match.

Now they face the defending champion Nikiski Bulldogs, who outlasted Homer in a tight, four-set winners-bracket match late Thursday.

It was a good day for Southcentral Conference teams. All three — Homer, Kenai and Nikiski — posted first-round wins, and two of them will square off in Friday’s only winners-bracket match at 5:15 p.m. The winner will secure a spot in Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship match.

ASAA/First National Bank state volleyball tournament

Alaska Airlines Center

Class 3A

First round

Kenai Central def. Barrow 3-1 (25-12, 16-25, 25-23, 25-14)

Sitka def. Valdez 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-23)

Nikiski def. Monroe 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-20)

Homer def. Kotzebue 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-7)

Winners bracket

Kenai def. Sitka 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 26-24)

Nikiski vs. Homer, 7 p.m.

Friday’s matches

10 a.m. — Barrow vs. Valdez (loser out)

11:45 a.m. — Monroe vs. Kotzebue (loser out)

1:30 p.m. — Nikiski-Homer loser vs. Barrow-Valdez winner (loser out)

3:15 p.m. — Sitka vs. Monroe-Kotzebue winner (loser out)

5:15 p.m. — Kenai vs. Nikiski-Homer winner (winners bracket)

7 p.m. — Winners of 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. matches (loser out)