The second-seed Green Canyon Wolves redeemed their 2021 quarterfinal loss Friday afternoon by beating the Hurricane Tigers 3-1 and advancing to the 4A semifinals.
Thanks to the seeding, Green Canyon had a bye in the first round while Hurricane had to overcome Dixie first for a chance at the Wolves.
But sometimes a bye can cause teams to not be as ready, and Green Canyon learned that early as it trailed 16-10 in the first set. However, Green Canyon reengaged, regained focus and fought back to take the first set with a 25-22 victory.
“I think we started the game with some nerves, but they pulled through and figured some things out. I really thought we played well together today, and it was a big team effort,” said Green Canyon coach Madison Larsen.
In the second set, Hurricane was determined to earn a set victory. The Tigers played well together and held onto a slim lead to win the second set 25-21.
Going into the third set, it was anyone’s game, but once again, Green Canyon stuck together and proved why it deserved a spot in the semifinal.
The Wolves won the third set in dominant fashion. Green Canyon led the whole way, capping it with a 25-15 victory.
Holding all of the momentum, Green Canyon then won the fourth set 25-19 to win the match.
“It was fun for sure, just the environment of the state tournament in general makes things very exciting,” Larsen said.
Simultaneously, third seed Ridgeline cruised to a 3-1 victory over seventh-seed Crimson Cliffs.
Ridgeline held a hefty 2-0 set lead over the Mustangs after winning the second set 25-11. Crimson Cliffs fought back to win the third set 25-20, but Ridgeline won the fourth set 25-16 and advanced to the semifinal match, where it will face Green Canyon.
On the other side of bracket the fifth-seed Desert Hills upset the fourth-seed Cedar Reds with a 3-0 sweep.
Each set remained a tight battle, but the Thunder were rolling and always had the slight edge against the Reds, ultimately winning 25-22, 25-23 and 25-23 to advance to the semifinals.
Desert Hills swept Pine View in the previous round and did not lose a single set on its way to the semifinals.
The last 4A quarterfinal game featured top seed Sky View overcoming a first-set loss against the eight-seed Snow Canyon.
Sky View started the game a little slow, which resulted in a 21-25 set loss. After losing set one, the Bobcats were determined to show why they were the first seed and swept the next three sets to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Sky View faces off against red hot Desert Hills tomorrow morning.