SALT LAKE CITY — All but one of the starters on Morgan High’s 32-0 state championship squad is gone, but those who graduated left more than high expectations with their younger teammates.
“Those kids, they made everybody else in the gym better,” said Morgan head coach Liz Wiscombe of last year’s seniors who led the team to a 3A title after a second-place finish in 2014. “We’re pretty young with just two seniors, a bucket-load of juniors and a sophomore setter. … But they worked hard in the offseason and they’re ready to go.”
The only returning starter is middle Anna Cox. The sophomore setter who will be running the Trojan offense is Ellee Anderson. Three other starters who have already helped the Trojans to a 4-0 start are middle Marcie Stapley, liberos Hannah Farr and Dani Wortman and outside hitter Brooklyn Hurlbut.
The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the state with impressive wins over teams like Sky View. Wiscombe said this year’s team is excited about leaving its own legacy.
“These kids are good players,” she said. “They work really hard. It’s been really fun.”
Desert Hills is ranked No. 2 and boasts outside hitter Rachel Winters and transfer player Charity Bradley, who is the daughter of former NBA player Shaun Bradley. Perennial power Snow Canyon will have a number of new faces and a new coach, while Dixie and Pine View are both off to impressive starts.
5A
Pleasant Grove may not be the defending 5A state champion, but most 5A coaches see the perennial power as the favorite this season. The Vikings are led by senior Sara Hamson and junior Kanza Tarawhiti and boast one of the tallest teams in the state.
“PG is ranked first, as they should be,” said Brighton head coach Adam Fernandez, whose team is ranked No. 2. “They went to the state championship and they have a lot of girls back.”
He doesn’t think the classification is as deep as it was last year, but acknowledges it’s early and most teams are still developing.
Fernandez has about half of his team back this season, including Utah commit Dani Barton, an outside hitter, and middle blocker LeighAnne Taylor. Both are captains, and he said they’re “helping mentor the younger kids and doing a lot of on-the-floor coaching.”
“One other kid that’s a great leader is Corinne Larsen, and her club team just won the national championship for 16s,” Fernandez said of the middle blocker. “She took a huge jump in ability and toughness.” He said this year’s team is one of the most talented he’s coached in his nine years at Brighton.
“We started where we left off last year,” he said. “Usually, with most high school teams, you’re going over basics until October. We could kind of jump on that right away, and that was really nice.”
Fremont — led by Maddie Vigil — and Davis and defending 5A state champion Lehi, as well as Bingham, should all be in the mix this season.
4A
When Sarah Chism agreed to be an interim assistant coach for the Bountiful volleyball team last year, she was certain it was a one-year commitment.
“It was not in the plan,” she said laughing.
So what changed her mind as she took over the program this season?
“Just the girls,” she said. “They’re a great group of girls, and I just really felt like they deserved to have some stability after last year. I loved their work ethic and their love for each other. I decided to stick around so they didn’t have to go through another coaching change.”
The Braves lose standout Kennedy Redding, but much like the Morgan players, Redding left her imprint on the program.
“Our captains are trying hard to emulate everything she brought as a leader,” Chism said. “We’re seeing them grow up and become leaders of their own. We will always miss her. She’s just an amazing person, first and foremost. But the girls learned so much from her, and they will kind of carry that one.” She said the team has talked a lot about earning its own accolades and not feeling pressured or entitled by last year’s 4A state title. Their theme is “Pursuit of potential,” she said. “They just want to be the best that they can be. They know they’re not last year’s team. They have to earn everything they get this year.” The Braves will be led by middle hitter Kelsie White, setter Bri Mortensen, middle Hannah Nielson and outside hitter Seyvion Waggoner. They also return junior libero Holland Vande Merwe.
Corner Canyon, Mountain View, Skyridge, Timpview and Skyline are all teams with potential to contend for a title.
2A
North Summit owns the No. 1 ranking in 2A after a 12-1 start. The Braves’ only loss this fall is to 3A’s Park City.
The team was a contender last season but lost one of its best players — Hunter Vernon — to injury just before the tournament. She returns this year, along with middle Ashlin Blonquist.
The 2015 defending state champion Delta Rabbits lost most of their starters to graduation, but they should still be a factor, while runner-up Enterprise starts as the second-ranked team, thanks to players like outside Jaslyn Garner and setter Tori Phelps.
South Sevier, ranked No. 5, and Millard, ranked third, will also be in the mix, as well as San Juan and Grand.
1A
Panguitch and Monticello finished last season as the state’s top two teams, and the only thing that’s changed this fall is some of the faces on the floor.
The defending state champion Bobcats are led by junior Jordan Bennett and freshman Taylia Norris, while Monticello returns about half of last year’s second-place team.
“We’re kind of a mix,” said head coach Tony Esplin. “We’ve got some young kids and some good experience. We’ve got players from last year, but several of them are playing completely different positions.”
Returning are setter Allie Maughan, middle Atlanta Black (who moved to that position midseason last year when a teammate was injured), outside Izabell Slade and Marci McDougall, who will be playing right side, just as she did last year.
“We’re pretty quick, and I think we play really good defense,” Esplin said. “At times we can be explosive offensively. It’s been a fun group so far this year.” In addition to Monticello and Panguitch, Rich, Duchesne, Intermountain Christian and Piute could all challenge for the title.
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