With tournament time just one week away, the Bingham Miners are starting to play their best volleyball.
Tuesday night the Miners pulled off the upset by knocking off Taylorsville 15-9, 9-15, 15-13 in a Region 3 battle. Bingham used its strong blocking game to pull off the victory, recording 13 as a team."I think it kind of shook their hitters and gave us strength," Bingham head coach Esther Halliday said of her team's blocking.
Jess Jackson led the attack for Bingham (7-4) with seven kills and six blocks. Setter Debbie White added 18 assists and four kills for the Miners.
The win locked in Bingham as the region's No. 3 seed in next week's tournament and gave them an opening round date with second-ranked Highland. Taylorsville (10-1) clinched the region title last week and faces Bountiful.
In other action Tuesday:
Region 1
Bonneville def. Northridge 15-11, 15-0: Jamie Jensen tallied 15 assists and six aces and Camille Cook added five kills as the Lakers downed the Knights.
Layton def. Clearfield 7-15, 15-9, 15-6: Kim Morrill and Kelli Murdock teamed for 16 kills, while Cheryl Davis had eight blocks as the Lancers rallied to defeat the Falcons.
Weber def. Fremont 15-13, 15-8: The Warriors upended the Silver Wolves to secure second place in the region's final standings.
Region 2
Skyline def. Davis 15-10, 15-8: Tia Vanich and Shalene Peterson combined for 14 kills and five aces in leading the Eagles to a win over the Darts and a share of the region title.
Highland def. Bountiful 7-15, 15-11, 15-8: Led by Logan Tom, the Rams recorded 43 team kills to rally past the Braves and grab a share of the region title. Rachel Ariotti had 17 kills and 13 digs in the loss for Bountiful.
Cottonwood def. Viewmont 15-13, 15-8: Merrilee Sherriff had three kills for the Vikings but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Colts.
Region 3
Granger def. West Jordan 15-8, 15-10: Sally Toia and Erin Hinckley combined for eight kills and seven blocks for the Lancers in a win over the Jaguars.
Hunter def. Kearns 8-15, 15-11, 15-12: Lisa Johnson's nine kills and four aces helped the Wolverines rally past the Cougars and keep their state tournament playoff hopes alive.
Region 4
American Fork def. Orem 15-1, 15-1: Natalie Whittaker netted 10 kills and four blocks and Jessica Wall added five digs as the top-ranked Cavemen crushed the Tigers.
Mountain View def. Hillcrest 15-6, 15-3: Strong hitting performances from Tresa Olson and Lisa Osguthorpe helped the Bruins baffle the Huskies.
Alta def. Timpanogos 15-13, 15-3: The Hawks used a strong team performance to secure a win over the T-wolves.
Jordan def. Brighton 15-5, 12-15, 15-9: Already in the playoffs, the Beetdiggers kept alive their hopes for the region's third-place seed by downing the Bengals.
Region 5
Mountain Crest def. Bear River 15-5, 15-1: Powered by the play of Mandy Hadfield, the Mustangs finished the region undefeated by putting the Bears into hibernation.
Box Elder def. Ogden 15-5, 15-1: Karianne McCree and Stephanie Johnson combined for 15 kills as the second-ranked Bees stung the Tigers.
Logan def. Ben Lomond 15-7, 15-17, 15-8: The Grizzlies finished the regular season with a 7-5 record by taking care of the Scots.
Region 6/7
Olympus def. Granite 15-0, 15-10: Kristi Fehr had 13 kills and Lynsie Tanner added six more for the Titans as they claimed the region title by clawing the Farmers.
Cyprus def. Judge 15-11, 8-15, 16-14: Katrena Ellett powered down 17 kills for the Pirates as they moved into second place in the region standings by outlasting the Bulldogs.
Murray def. Woods Cross 17-15, 15-5: Nina Puikkonen and Karina Puikkonen teamed for 18 kills and 11 solo blocks as the Spartans stunned the Wildcats. Liz Naegle had five blocks in the loss for Woods Cross.
Tooele def. West 15-12, 15-3: Natasha Raddatz had 10 kills and Leah Dutson added eight more in helping the Buffaloes defeat the Panthers.
Region 8
Timpview def. Spanish Fork 15-5, 9-15, 15-3: Kim Yamada dished out 27 assists and Amanda Valgardson netted nine kills as the Thunderbirds locked up the region title by defeating the Dons.
Provo def. Payson 14-16, 15-11, 15-12: Tina MacNaughton and Tiffany Massey combined for 27 kills for the Lions in a loss to the Bulldogs. The win for Provo created a three-way tie for third in the final region standings, along with Pleasant Grove.
Pleasant Grove def. Springville 15-11, 15-13: Nicole Hayman had 13 kills and the Vikings recorded 22 team blocks in knocking off the Red Devils.
Class 3A play-in
Union def. Cedar City: The Cougars moved into the state tournament by downing the Lady Reds for a first-round matchup with Region 10 foe Lehi.
Class 1A play-in
Panguitch def. Green River 15-3, 15-5: The Bobcats defeated the Pirates for a berth in the 1A state tournament.
Nonregion
Sky View def. East 12-15, 15-8, 15-11: The Bobcats rallied back to record a road victory over the Leopards in a matchup of two tournament-bound teams.
Richfield def. North Sevier 15-7, 15-10: Kim Hawley, Jenny Bailey and Lindy Moss each had eight assists for the Wildcats as they closed their season with a win over the Wolves.