2A quarterfinals
North Summit 3, St. Joseph 1
After stumbling in the second set, No. 4 North Summit earned a spot in the 2A semifinals after a 25-11, 20-25, 25-18, and 25-20 victory over No. 5 St. Joseph.
“It was good. Nerve wracking, but good.,” said North Summit head coach Samantha Stephens.
“They played well. I felt like we blocked decent. St. Joseph had that really good outside hitter that was kind of working us, but we did what we needed to get by. I feel like we can still play better than we played, but we’re getting there. We’re getting the kinks out.”
North Summit faltered in the second set, which was its only set loss so far this postseason. But, North Summit got some strong defense with Hayzlyn Murdock’s seven blocks and Ellie Stephens was a monster on the net for North Summit with 17 kills.
North Summit will face its biggest challenge yet against No. 1 Parowan in the semifinals.
“Parowan tomorrow, we just got nothing to lose,” said Stephens. “I feel like the pressure may be on them because they’re No. 1 and we’ve just got to come out guns blazing and don’t look back.”
Parowan 3, San Juan 0
Top-seeded Parowan has been dominant all year, boasting a 28-0 record which makes it the only undefeated team, all while only dropping seven total sets so far this year.
Friday’s Day 1 of 2A postseason play was no different for Parowan, which took care of business with back-to-back 3-0 wins to qualify for tomorrow’s 2A semifinals.
“It feels good, but there’s still a lot of nerves,” said Parowan head coach Macey Yardley. “It’s still a little unsettled, so I’m happy that we’re walking away with two wins and we’re hoping they’re a little more settled tomorrow.
“Generally, I think they did well. I thought our outsides did a really good job of executing out of system balls and putting those in play, and even getting kills off of out of system balls. I thought my setter set really well and overall receive was solid. It’s well-balanced, I thought.”
Parowan’s outside hitters Taylen Yardley and Paige Felder led the offense with 10 and 13 kills, respectively.
Kanab 3, Enterprise 0
No. 2 Kanab ended day one of the 2A volleyball state tournament with a 6-0 set record, including a 25-20, 25-5, and 25-18 sweep over No. 10 Enterprise in the 2A quarterfinals.
“Just played together and brought energy. We’re excited and pumped for tomorrow,” said Kanab head coach Kamie Houtson.
The Cowboys had a strong service game, with Savannah Bateman leading the way with three aces, while also putting up 10 kills.
Kanab’s hitting was hard to stop for Enterprise, with Rylee Little recording 11 kills while Emilie Gilberg had 10.
Kanab is headed into the 2A semifinals hot, with it winning nine of its last 12 games. Kanab will see North Sevier in the semifinals Tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the UCCU Center at UVU.
North Sevier 3, Draper APA 1
No. 6 North Sevier overcame some mental woes to defeat No. 3 Draper APA 25-10, 25-17, 24-26, 25-19. North Sevier started with a dominant 25-10 first set victory, and it looked like it was headed for a sweep when it was up 23-18 in the third set.
However, Draper APA made a run and pushed the game to a fourth set.
There were times that they just let down their focus for a little bit,” said North Sevier head coach Michelle Roberts. “They just need to key in and focus during the whole set. We’ve been working on mental toughness all season. We’re going to talk about that a little bit more on staying focused and staying mentally tough through the whole game.”
Despite its mental lapse, North Sevier found the win and earned a spot in the 2A semifinals.
“We’re excited,” said Roberts. “I don’t even know who we play yet, but we’re excited. We have a great team and they’ve got lots of talent and I believe they can go all the way. So, we’re going to do that right here.”
North Sevier is set to play Kanab in the semifinals, the two played early in the season where Kanab got a 3-1 victory.
2A second round
St. Joseph 3, Intermountain Christian 0
No. 5 St. Joseph started its tournament play strong with a 3-0 sweep over No. 12 Intermountain Christian. St. Joseph had a strong game at the net with Laura Skerkoski recording 17 kills, and also had a strong defense with Skerkoski’s 18 digs. Lizzie Randall also had six kills, 10 digs, and 13 assists in the 2A second round win.
Parowan 3, Wasatch Academy 0
No. 1 Parowan flexed its muscles in a quick 25-7, 25-8, and 25-8 win over No. 16 Wasatch Academy in the second round of the 2A playoffs. Parowan’s Taylen Yardley led the Rams’ strong serving game with 10 aces, while Paige Felder had 13 kills in the win.
San Juan 3, Rowland Hall 1
Despite being down a starter, No. 9 San Juan fended off No. 8 Rowland Hall and advanced to the 2A quarterfinals. After an injury for the staring middle blocker in last weeks match with Gunnison Valley, San Juan’s Madden Perkins, who normally plays JV, stepped up and filled the middle blocker hole.
North Summit 3, Beaver 0
Hartlyn Richins had 13 kills to lead No. 4 North Summit to the 2A quarterfinals after beating No. 13 Beaver 25-22, 25-21, and 25-18. North Summit’s Ellie Stephens had 11 kills and Hayzlyn Murdock recorded four blocks.
Enterprise 3, Millard 0
No. 10 Enterprise took care of business as it got a clean 25-22, 25-14, and 25-16 sweep over No. 7 Millard. Kenidie Fowler was a monster on the net with 15 kills in the win. The Enterprise defense was bolstered by Dacee Terry’s five blocks and Blakelee Christiansen’s 21 digs.
Kanab 3, Duchesne 0
No. 2 Kanab showed why its so highly ranked in a 25-14, 25-19, and 25-20 victory over No. 18 Duchesne in the second round of the 2A playoffs. Kanab’s Savannah Bateman and Ashlyn Houston led in kills with each recording six, while Rylee Little helped on defense with four blocks in the win.
North Sevier 3, South Sevier 1
No. 6 North Sevier weathered a potential comeback from No. 11 South Sevier for a 3-1 2A second round victory. Twins Cale and Trey Torgerson had standout performances on the net for North Sevier, Swayzee Mason also had a big performance to push North Sevier to a 2A quarterfinal appearance.
Draper APA 3, American Leadership 0
No. 3 Draper APA earns a spot in the 2A quarterfinals with a 25-10, 25-23, and 25-17 win over No. 14 American Leadership Academy. Draper APA had multiple players who were a force on the net, Sara Packer had eight kills, Maya Gaudia had seven and Camilla Olive had five.