North Pole earned its first Mid Alaska Conference (MAC) win of the 2024 volleyball season under first-year head coach Payton Weisz in dominant fashion Tuesday night, sweeping West Valley (25-23, 25-15, 25-15). The Patriots’ triumph came in the first full match between these two teams since West Valley swept the Patriots in the same venue during the MAC Tournament last November en route to earning the Interior’s state tournament berth. North Pole had played West Valley twice already this season, getting swept both times in abbreviated best two out of three matches (rather than three out of five) in West Valley’s late-August tournament.
The Patriots flipped the script in the rematch on their home floor. “We feel incredible right now,” Weisz said post-match. “The girls are really excited.
We came out with the best energy we’ve had all season, so I can’t complain.” North Pole went ahead 3-0 right away, opening the match with a couple of aces from junior setter Hunter Barber. The Wolfpack appeared to pick up some momentum by winning an extended rally to cut the deficit to 5-3, but the Patriots scored the next three points to push their lead to five.
West Valley followed with a 4-0 run, most of which sophomore Paityn Zweifel was serving for. An aggressive kill from junior middle blocker Faith Sellers and four consecutive aces from junior libero Macy Henry helped North Pole regain its margin for error in short order and prompted a timeout from the visitors. The Pat.