The top two seeds in the 4A and 3A volleyball state tournaments took care of business in their respective semifinals Thursday afternoon at UVU, setting up marquee clashes in the championships later tonight.
No. 1 seed Emery will face No. 2 seed Morgan in the 3A state championship at 4:30 p.m. after both teams swept their respective semifinal matches earlier in the day.
In 4A, No. 1 seed Orem will battle No. 2 seed Green Canyon at 7 p.m. after both fought hard to win tight semifinal matches.
In 3A, Morgan beat No. 6 Union 25-23, 25-19, 25-14, its third win over the Cougars this season as the defending state champs moved to within one victory of a repeat state title and No. 21 in school history.
Emery swept No. 5 seed Manti 25-14, 25-16, 25-17 on Thursday, an impressive performance for sure after the teams split five-set regular-season matches earlier this year.
Thursday’s championship showdown between No. 1 and 2 in 3A will be the first meeting between the two programs this season. While Morgan is looking for a repeat, Emery is seeking its first volleyball state championship since 1996.
In 4A, top seed Orem dropped the first set to No. 4 Sky View, but got stronger as the match wore on to beat the Bobcats 28-30, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18.
Orem hasn’t won a volleyball state title in over 40 years, but will look to halt that drought Thursday night. The school’s only volleyball state title came in 1981.
No. 2 seed Green Canyon beat No. 3 seed Desert Hills 25-13, 26-24, 25-21 in the other semifinal to advance to the championship. The Wolves trailed 24-19 in the second set, but scored the final seven points to steal the set and then won fairly comfortably in the third.
Green Canyon won the 4A state title in 2019, and it’s one win away from another in its short history.