The Sky View Bobcats were one of five teams from Region 4 to strike a blow for northern Utah volleyball in the 4A state tournament Tuesday.
After missing opportunities on five match points in the second game, Sky View locked things up in the third game to upset fourth-ranked Timpview 15-11, 14-16, 15-9 in a match played at Highland High.Sky View, along with Mountain Crest, Box Elder, Bonneville and Fremont, went a combined 5-0 on the tournament's opening day of play.
The Bobcats entered the tournament as the fourth-place team in Region 4 with an 8-6 region record, while Timpview finished second in Utah County's Region 6 with a 12-2 mark.
"I hope it makes a statement about our region," said Sky View coach Malayna Knowles. "There are some teams to watch out for."
Denise Griffin and Toni Merrill led the offensive attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, for Sky View, which blew five game-points in the first game before making good on the sixth after a Timpview hitting error.
The Thunderbirds came out soaring in the second game and took a 10-1 lead, thanks to the serving of Kim Yamada and hitting of Amber Fish and Sarah Moore.
The Bobcats roared back with a 10-1 run of their own to tie the game and eventually took a 14-13 lead. But those five match points came and went and Timpview tied the match after a pair of Sky View hitting errors and an ace by Moore.
"I would be mad, but when they come back like that I can't be too mad," said Knowles.
Sky View raced out to a 12-4 lead in the third game, but Timpview made things interesting by cutting the gap to 12-9. Three Thunderbird hitting errors then gave the match to the Bobcats.
Next up for Sky View is second-ranked Highland. The two clash at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at Utah Valley State College.
In other matches:
At Highland
Highland def. Springville 15-9, 15-13: Logan Tom netted six kills and Martha Brinton dished out 15 assists to lead the second-ranked Rams past the Red Devils.
Timpview def. Springville 9-15, 15-4, 15-13: The Thunderbirds bounced back from their loss to Sky View to knock their region rival out of the tournament.
At Mountain Crest
Mountain Crest def. Olympus 15-3, 15-0: The strong play of team captains Shauni Fluckiger and Katie Fryer led the top-ranked Mustangs past the Titans.
Cyprus def. Spanish Fork 10-15, 15-13, 15-7: The Pirates eked out a second-game win and then pinned a loss on the Dons.
Spanish Fork def. Olympus 15-9, 15-11: The Dons avoided elimination by dumping the Titans.
At Bountiful
Fremont def. Bountiful 15-11, 15-9: Nikki Panter tallied eight kills and six digs and Angelee Coleman netted 21 assists as the Silver Wolves stunned the fifth-ranked Braves.
Bonneville def. Pleasant Grove 15-12, 15-8: Camille Cook's eight kills and eight digs and Kelle Thornock's 21 assists paced the Lakers past the Vikings.
Bountiful def. Pleasant Grove 15-6, 15-7: Jillana Watson had five kills and five digs for the Braves as they eliminated the Vikings.
At Provo
Box Elder def. Woods Cross 15-5, 15-8: The Bees dominated the Wildcats to advance in the winners' bracket of the tournament.
Provo def. East 15-1, 13-15, 15-7: The third-ranked Bulldogs received a bit of a scare before knocking off the Leopards.
Woods Cross def. East: The Wildcats stayed alive with a win over their region rivals.
CLASS 5A TOURNAMENT
At Mountain View
Mountain View vs. Clearfield 15-0, 15-4: The second-ranked Bruins set up a meeting with Northridge after mauling the Falcons.
Northridge def. Taylorsville 15-11, 12-15, 15-5: The Knights scored the last 10 points of the third game to get past the Warriors.
Taylorsville def. Clearfield 15-9, 13-15, 15-1: The Warriors used a strong team effort and a stellar third game to bounce the Falcons.
At Davis
Hunter def. Jordan 15-6, 15-13: The fifth-ranked Wolverines swept their way past the Beetdiggers.
Davis def. Hillcrest 15-8, 15-8: Telenia Leota dished out 20 assists and Mandy Thornton pounded out 10 kills to lead the Darts by the Huskies.
Hillcrest def. Jordan 16-14, 15-11: The Huskies used a strong team effort to stay alive in the tournament and send the Beetdiggers packing.
At Bingham
Bingham def. Cottonwood 15-5, 15-8: Heather Gilmore and Jenni Applegate each had six kills and Debbie White netted 17 assists for the third-ranked Miners in a win over the Colts.
Orem def. Copper Hills 15-10, 15-8: The fourth-ranked Tigers set up a meeting with Bingham by sweeping the Grizzlies.
Copper Hills def. Cottonwood 15-9, 15-6: The Grizzlies lived to see another tournament day by bouncing the Colts from the tournament.
At Skyline
Layton def. Alta 15-9, 15-7: The hitting of Kim Morrill led the Lan-cers to a surprise win over the Hawks.
Skyline def. West Jordan 15-9, 15-13: April Varner and Celeste Suite combined for eight aces as the top-ranked Eagles took care of the Jaguars.
Alta def. West Jordan 17-15, 15-2: Ashlee Grange served up 12 points in the second game for the Hawks as they rebounded to defeat the Jaguars.