LEHI — They might not have come out on fire, but the Lehi volleyball team defeated Payson in three straight, 25-20, 25-13, 27-25, even with a slow start.
"We had a hard time getting our groove. We came out cold," said Lehi coach Jamie Ingersoll.
Payson lost middle blocker Arielle Penrod to an injury midway through the first game.
"My trainer says something's broken," said Payson coach Jodie Beck of Penrod's injury. She added that it was probably an ankle, and she didn't think things looked good for Penrod to play again this season.
Even though some season-ending injuries are more serious than others though, this could be extremely difficult for the Lions to deal with. Penrod was the team's only middle, and Beck had to replace her with Chelsey Valdez, who played in her first-ever high school match.
"I don't know what we're going to do in the long run," Beck said. "I'll have to look things over and make some decisions later this week. We might have to shake things up a little bit."
Even with the injury, the Lions took an 18-17 lead in the first game before falling apart and losing eight of the final 10 points.
When Game 2 rolled around, Payson just couldn't seem to get its mind back on volleyball. Lehi rushed out to a 13-3 lead and just kept pushing until freshman Elle Brainard finished off game point with a nifty kill.
It was Lehi's middles that impressed after Payson's went out with the injury. Sophomore Miranda Parkinson and junior Lindsay Day each showed flashes of brilliance and some overall solid play.
"My middles had their best day. This was the most effective they've been on offense," said Ingersoll, who also noted that Marci Gray continued to impress from her new position at outside hitter.
But though it appeared Lehi had all the momentum heading into Game 3, the Lions got their groove back and made a match of it.
Junior Katherin Caldwell took charge on the court both with her play and her leadership skills. Stepping up for four blocks in the third game, especially toward the end when the Pioneers made their run, Caldwell is really starting to make a name for herself as a defensive presence. She was no slouch digging and hitting the ball either, coming up with four kills in the final game, one especially impressive as she downed an overpass with perfect precision.
Valdez added a pair of blocks in the third game to show Beck that even though she doesn't have much experience, she does want to play.
The Lions took their largest lead at 16-11 and again at 18-13 before allowing the Pioneers back into it. Then they fell behind 24-20 before racking up four straight points against match point just to even things up.
They saved yet another match point at 25-24 on a kill by Miranda Bradshaw before the Pioneers finished things off with two straight.
"Our hitters had a hard time finishing, but defense kept us in the rally (through most of the match), but our passing broke down in Game 3," said Ingersoll, who noted that all of her team's tournament play against some of the toughest competition in the state might have made the difference at the end of the close games.
"We've played a lot of matches. We've seen some pressure."
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