June Troxel (left), a sophomore for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s varsity volleyball team, sets up a teammate during Saturday’s game against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS. Pictured on the court with Troxel are Amelia Elfers (13), Lavinia Ma’ake (11) and Braith Dihle (2). Head Coach Jody Levernier is standing behind them holding a clipboard. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

June Troxel (left), a sophomore for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s varsity volleyball team, sets up a teammate during Saturday’s game against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS. Pictured on the court with Troxel are Amelia Elfers (13), Lavinia Ma’ake (11) and Braith Dihle (2). Head Coach Jody Levernier is standing behind them holding a clipboard. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

JDHS volleyball teams find their new groove hosting JIVE tournament

Varsity built from 91 players seeking spots after consolidation settles in; two JV teams face off in semifinal.

Combining Juneau’s two high schools into one meant 91 students signed up to play volleyball this season, 13 of whom were on the varsity roster for the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza (JIVE) on Friday and Saturday. In addition, the merger means former crosstown rivals are now teammates after coming up under different coaches and levels of success.

“Things were a little rough at first,” said Evelyn Richards, a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé who was part of the Crimson Bears’ varsity last year, after a win against a high-seeded team Saturday afternoon to advance in elimination play. “We went to our first tournament in Sitka and we didn’t do too great up there. And I think it’s just because we were all warming up together and like learning how to be cohesive as a team here. But we’re kind of getting over that and building together more. So this tournament we’ve been doing really well.”

The win was the varsity’s high point during a tournament with hits and misses for the team, which finished Friday’s pool play seeded fifth among six Gold Bracket teams with a 6-4 record (a total of 13 teams participated, with the top three in two divisions advancing to the top bracket Saturday while the others played in the Silver Bracket).

Braith Dihle (2) goes up for an attack for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza on Saturday at JDHS. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Braith Dihle (2) goes up for an attack for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza on Saturday at JDHS. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

The Crimson Bears lost their first game in double-elimination play Saturday morning to fourth-seeded West Anchorage High School, but then rebounded for the early afternoon win against third-seeded Mountain City Christian Academy.

The victory resulted in a rematch against West – and this time JDHS showed it might be able to prevail as it took a 24-21 lead, putting the team within a point of taking the first set of the best-of-three matchup. But the Eagles came back to win the set and then the match, resulting in a fourth-place tournament finish for the Crimson Bears.

Still, for the players and their coach the weekend is an indicator of the potential of the team’s combined pool of talent as it enters the bulk of its conference schedule and begins thinking about how far it can advance when the playoffs begin.

“I think going into (the season) I was a little nervous because it’s a new coaching staff and new people, but I’m having a lot of fun,” said Braith Dihle, a junior who was on the varsity for the now-defunct Thunder Mountain High School last year. “And I really love all the girls and I think we have good team chemistry. Our personalities really match well together.”

Neela Thomas (12) and Lavinia Ma’ake (left) try to deflect the ball against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Neela Thomas (12) and Lavinia Ma’ake (left) try to deflect the ball against Mountain City Christian Academy in an elimination game of the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Richards and Dihle both said they were a bit nervous about who would make the varsity squad when the season started due to the extra competition for spots. That prospect was also rather daunting for JDHS Head Coach Jody Levernier.

“What I was thinking was it was a lot of kids,” she said. “How are we going to get all these kids playing time? And how are we going to get all these kids travel time?”

Part of the answer is JDHS also had two junior varsity teams among five teams in that portion of the tournament that were led by some of the 10 coaches involved with the Crimson Bears’ volleyball program. In what might be considered a mix of success and irony, the two JV teams played each other in the semifinal, with the “JD1” team advancing to the final where it lost to Sitka High School’s junior varsity.

Sitka also won the Gold Bracket championship over crosstown rival Mount Edgecumbe High School in what turned into a dogfight for both teams. MEHS defeated Sitka in the quarterfinal, sending the Wolves to the loser’s bracket, where they defeated West before going on to defeat MEHS twice in a row to claim the title.

The JDHS varsity next plays on the road against conference rival Ketchikan High School this coming Friday and Saturday, with JV and C-team games also scheduled. The following week the Crimson Bears varsity returns home to host Wasilla High School on Oct. 18 and 19.

Teams from four schools, including Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale, play on two courts Saturday during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS. A total of 13 varsity teams participated in the tournament. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Teams from four schools, including Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale, play on two courts Saturday during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS. A total of 13 varsity teams participated in the tournament. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Among the tricky things to figure out is Juneau has five C teams to accommodate all the players who signed up, yet only one is scheduled to be part of next weekend’s matchups against Ketchikan. Levernier said teams not playing where the varsity is on a given day or weekend often will participate in competition elsewhere.

“I think for our conference game when we go to Ketchikan the coaches will probably pick the upper teams for both for the JV and C team,” Levernier said. Meanwhile “we’re going to send a group of kids to Haines and that’s more of getting kids to travel that haven’t been able to.”

A similar approach was taken by the JDHS cross-country team that had more than 80 students sign up. That program just competed at the state championships in Anchorage this weekend, with Juneau runners finishing second in both the boys’ and girls’ races.

The two high school volleyball programs in Juneau had different levels of success last year, with JDHS finishing 7-34-1 overall and THMS 33-13-7 overall, including winning their third Region V Conference title before being eliminated with consecutive losses at the state tournament.

Wrangell High School and West Anchorage High School face off in an elimination game at the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Wrangell High School and West Anchorage High School face off in an elimination game at the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

The Crimson Bears are 5-15-4 so far this season, but 2-0 in a conference that now only includes themselves and Ketchikan. Levernier said the team went through some early-season struggles trying to adjust to the new situation.

“The first couple weekends we got on the court they were kind of flat and, I think, really unsure of each other and unsure of themselves,” she said. “And then all the way until today where they’re just they just look like they were having fun playing volleyball and excited for each other. There’s never been any meanness or maliciousness.”

While Levernier said the potential of this year’s team is yet to be revealed entering the crucial stretch of the regular season, planning for building on whatever happens is already underway.

“We’re already starting conversations about how we readjust for next year,” she said. “I don’t know how so yet. Do we continue to have this many C teams? Do we have an intramural team? I don’t think we’ll ever have a cut program — that’s not of my interest. I think it’s a great sport and it’s something that these kids can do as adults, so I don’t ever want to tell a kid that they can’t play.”

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.

Ketchikan High School and Nome-Beltz Middle High School face off in a Silver Bracket elimination game during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Ketchikan High School and Nome-Beltz Middle High School face off in a Silver Bracket elimination game during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Sitka High School and Mount Edgecumbe High School face off in a quarterfinal game during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. MEHS won, but Sitka came back through the loser’s bracket and ultimately prevailed in the championship game. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Sitka High School and Mount Edgecumbe High School face off in a quarterfinal game during the Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza at JDHS on Saturday. MEHS won, but Sitka came back through the loser’s bracket and ultimately prevailed in the championship game. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

More in Sports

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Nordic Ski Team member Ida Meyer competes at the Region VI Championships Friday in Fairbanks. Meyer placed seventh overall in the girls 7.5km Mass Start. The JDHS girls team placed second in the two-day regions, the boys third. JDHS senior Finn Lamb led the Crimson Bears boys with a sixth place finish in the 7.5km. (Photo courtesy JDHS Nordic Ski)
JDHS Crimson Bears take snow show on the road

Nordic Ski Team girls second, boys third at Region VI Championships.

Twigs of red huckleberry are green all year, but brighter in summer than winter. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: Tree bark

The center of a tree or shrub stem (from roots to trunk,… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Layla Tokuoka (14) floats a jump shot over Wasilla senior Layla Hays (52) during the Crimson Bears’ 46-30 loss Saturday to the Warriors in the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
A small Layla, a tall Layla give highlight plays on Saturday

JDHS’ Tokuoka, Wasilla’s Hays key second matchup of the weekend as Warriors prevail 46-30.

Lucas Bovitz of Juneau-Douglas: Yadaa.at Kale carries the puck with attention from Kenai Central goalie Evyn Witt and William Howard at the First National Cup Division II state hockey tournament Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Crimson Bears hockey place third on state ice

Juneau-Douglas gets revenge win over Kenai

Wasilla junior Katie Jackson drives and passes around Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé seniors Cailynn Baxter and Addison Wilson (10) during the Warriors’ 65-34 win Friday over the Crimson Bears in the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Wasilla girls storm Juneau-Douglas home court

Warriors down Crimson Bears in George Houston Gymnasium

In this file photo Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Dylan Sowa (35) is congratulated on a scoring goal by senior captain Luke Bovitz (4) during senior night weekend against Kenai. Sowa had two goals Friday in the Crimson Bears’ 5-2 loss to Palmer at the 2025 ASAA Division II Hockey State Tournament in Soldotna. JDHS will face Kenai in the 3rd/5th-place game Saturday. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Moose push Crimson Bears aside 5-2 in state semifinals

Palmer will play for title, JDHS for third at state hockey tournament.

Snow is also a four letter word with more than one proper use. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Pure Sole: WTF with the F word

The F word. F… U… and no need for that third and… Continue reading

Jessica Larsen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute describes her research on Alaska’s Mount Churchill at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: The threat within an Alaska mountain

Mount Churchill stands in a white corner of the Alaska map, deceptive… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Dylan Sowa (35) beats Bartlett senior Wyatt Rust (13) in a faceoff earlier this season. Sowa scored four goals in Thursday’s 5-4 extra-time win over the Houston Hawks to open the 2025 ASAA Division II Hockey State Tournament at Soldotna. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
Crimson Bears open postseason by devouring Hawks on extra-time ice

Sowa wears big hat for sixth-seed JDHS in win against third-seed Houston at state hockey tournament.

Most Read