OREM — Pleasant Grove coach Jamie Schapper didn't say much to her players after they lost the third set in the quarterfinal match against Layton.
"I allowed them to just talk to each other," said Schapper after the Vikings regrouped and won the fourth set to earn the victory 25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 25-13 in the quarterfinals at Utah Valley University's McKay Event Center Friday night. "I think the nerves were there, and they just needed to settle down and play their game. Once they do that ... They're fine."
She said that sometimes the best guidance she can give them is to allow the players to communicate with each other. Once they did that, the second-ranked Vikings were virtually unstoppable.
"We knew their middles were really tough," she said.
Layton's Kathryn Lecheminant and Mariah Katoa are not only dangerous offensively, but they are effective blockers as well. That meant Pleasant Grove middle hitters Kim Dahl and Melissa Rider, who usually play in the shadow of the team's outside hitters, had to really shine.
They did that with Melissa earning four blocks and Kim adding three blocks. Brooke McAlister, who has committed to the University of Utah, led the team's offense with 21 kills and 14 digs, while Danica Mendivil added 10 kills and 28 digs.
Right side Jenn Hamson added 10 kills and three blocks, while setters Kemi McFarland and Rae Mulitalo earned 21 and 23 assists, respectively.
"The first two games we did a good job against their middles," Schapper said.
McAlister said the team relaxed a little too much in the third set.
"Our momentum really dropped," she said. "We didn't have the intensity. It took us losing to bring it back."
She said the team is working toward one goal — the championship match.
"Our main goal is to get to that championship match and play Lone Peak," she said.
Her coach was not alarmed that it took four sets to defeat Layton.
"I am not surprised," she said of needing four sets to defeat third-ranked Layton. "When the team gets anxious, they kind of overdo it. Once you get them settled down, they're amazing."
In Friday's other quarterfinal matches:
Taylorsville def. Davis 25-23, 23-25, 28-26, 25-16
The Warriors were led by senior outside hitter Brita Noble in their quarterfinal win over the Darts.
"That is not a fourth-place team," said Taylorsville coach Rich Kaelin. "There is no weakness there ... They passed nails today."
Noble led the offense with 21 kills against Davis and she earned nine kills in the earlier match against Lehi. Setter Ashley Aloi earned 30 assists against the Darts, and she had 28 assists against Lehi.
Kaelin said the Warriors have struggled with injuries all season and are finally close to 100 percent.
"These last two weeks we've gotten back to where I thought we could be," he said. "Tonight, we took them out of their game."
Lone Peak def. Northridge 25-19, 25-23, 25-20
The top-ranked Knights didn't play perfectly in Friday's quarterfinals, but it was good enough to defeat fourth-ranked Northrdige in straight sets.
"Our goal is just to get better every game," said coach Deanna Meyer. "We're trying to learn from our mistakes and move on."
The Knights didn't serve well, but they had a lot to be proud of in the other aspects of the game. Senior middle Ashton Gray hit 8-for-11 with no errors, while senior outside Aubrey Muiana led the team with 28 kills and nine digs. Senior libero Anna Burgess earned 26 digs, while senior setter Heather Hannemann earned 29 assists running the potent offense.
It was the little things that really pleased Meyer. Junior Cami Richans made some adjustments defensively and was able to pick up eight digs.
"I was proud of how she was able to adjust and keep them from killing us on down the line," Meyer said.
Brighton defeated Bingham 20-25, 19-25, 25-17, 28-26, 15-7
Down two sets, the Bengals had no choice but win three straight sets if they wanted a berth into the 5A semi-finals.
Brighton coaches said that's just the way the team likes to play under pressure.
"That's just Brighton volleyball," said head coach Kathy Mendenhall.
She said coaches pulled two key players aside to discuss what the team needed from them.
"Aurie (Robinson) and Lori (Mendenhall)," she said. "They were just too uptight, feeling too much pressure. We said this is about us. They were doing some really nice things. But we needed to be us. I said, 'This is about what we are doing.'"
The talk worked as Robinson and Lori Mendenhall went on to lead the team to a victory. Robinson led the team with 15 kills, while Mendenhall earned a season-high 46 assists. Robinson even served the team out of what looked to be a hopeless position in the fifth set.
Down 0-4, the Bengals went on an 11-0 run and earned a win 15-7.
"That was a good team," said Kathy Mendenhall of Bingham. The Miners had key contributions from sophmore outside hitter Danika Youngblood, middle Rachel Gines and junior outside Taeja Afalava. Sophomore setter Courtney Godfrey also played well for the Miners, who now head to the consolation bracket where they will take on Northridge at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for a chance at fifth place.