6A quarterfinals
Bingham 3, Corner Canyon 0
Top seeded Bingham looked like one of the most polished teams in the first day of the 6A state tournament. The Miners finished the day with a 3-0 sweep of No. 16 Weber in the second round and a 3-0 sweep of No. 9 Corner Canyon in the quarterfinals.
“We did well, we really did but we can be better,” said Bingham head coach Ben Chamberlain. “We’ve seen them be better. We can’t let up now. We will only get better teams from here on up, but we came in strong. We got 6-0 and can’t be mad about that. I know we could play better, but we can’t be mad about a good start.”
The Miners were led by JJ Failvae with 11 kills, but also had an attack variety with Jerico Jones’ five kills and Brody Siddoway and Jackson Whitehead each getting four. The defense was also strong for Bingham as Siddoway, Jones, Failvae and Ethan Peterson all picking up two blocks in the quarterfinal win.
Bingham lost to Pleasant Grove in last years quarterfinal and looks forward to making a potential championship run.
“This group is just so determined, so disciplined,” Chamberlain said. ‘They’re all friends and we have the best staff here with so much input. We’re just so well-rounded as a whole program.”
Lehi 3, Herriman 1
For the second time this season No. 4 Lehi faced off against No. 5 Herriman and got the win. The Pioneers beat the Mustangs 25-23, 16-25, 25-23 and 25-19 to advance to the 6A semifinals.
“We knew coming in that we were going to have tough games and the boys, we’ve been working all week and they showed up and they played hard,” said Lehi head coach Kolby Shewell. “We cut down on the errors and we were able to run our offense. The boys stepped up, so we’re really proud of the way they played today.”
Ashton Shewell dominated for Lehi with 22 kills. Shewell was backed up by Ian Wilson who added 12 of his own and Dylan Avery who pitched in eight. Setter Ty Reynolds continued to be a strong asset for the Pioneers as he dished out 47 assists in the quarterfinal win.
Lehi advances to the 6A semifinal where they’ll face No. 1 Bingham. The Miners finished day one with a 6-0 set record.
“I love the matchup that’s such a great team,” Coach Shewell said. “I know a lot of them from club, one of them is on my club team, so good group of boys and they are a solid team. We’re going to have to play our best to play with the best.”
Mountain Ridge 3, Riverton 0
No. 3 Mountain Ridge didn’t have many issues in its first day of the state tournament. The Sentinels advanced to the 6A semifinals after two dominant 3-0 wins, including one over No. 11 Riverton in the quarterfinals.
“I think they played well,” said Mountain Ridge head coach David Johnston. “They came out, played together, played with energy. They minimized their mistakes. We’re just trying to build for the next couple of matches.”
Mountain Ridge won the sets 25-17, 25-13 and 25-19, giving up only a combined 49 points throughout Friday’s game. Outside hitter Clark Fowler had a team-high 10 kills in the quarterfinal. Nesta Vaitai had nine while Curtis Fowler and Brayden Kelleher each had seven. Vaitai also had three aces in the win. Mountain Ridge advances to the 6A semifinal where it will see No. 2 Westlake.
“We ran in the same tournament together, so we’ve seen each other, but we didn’t play against each other,” Johnston said. “They’ve got some really good outside hitters and some good players. It’ll be a good test for us.”
Westlake 3, Lone Peak 0
Last week Region 3 foes Westlake and Lone Peak played in the last region game of the season. While the Thunder ended up winning, the Knights played a close game.
The Thunder entered this years’ 6A tournament as the two seed, and when faced with No. 7 Lone Peak in the quarterfinals, they made sure it was a much more dominant match. Westlake ended with a 3-0 win, outscoring Lone Peak 25-20, 25-17 and 25-19.
“We just came in with a really focused mindset,” said Westlake head coach Whitney Randall. “One of the things we talked about this week is target fixation, so instead of saying, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do this.’ We’re fixating on things that we can control and things that we can win and things we can do well with.”
Kilika Tafa once again led Westlake with nine kills. Kyson Ririe also had a nice game with six kills and two aces. Thunder middle Thomas Wood bolstered the defense with four blocks.
It was never particularly close in any of Westlake’s games in day one, but it will face a bigger challenge with No. 3 Mountain Ridge waiting for it in the 6A semifinals.
6A second round
Bingham 3, Weber 0
Jackson Whitehead powered top seeded Bingham to a 3-0 sweep over No. 16 Weber in the 6A Playoffs, amassing 10 kills in a dominant showing. Jerico Jones and JJ Failvae supported with seven kills each, while Jones also contributed defensively with three blocks. The Miners decisively won each set, 25-19, 25-13, and 25-16. Weber struggled to keep pace throughout as Bingham controlled the tempo from start to finish.
Corner Canyon 3, Davis 0
No. 9 Corner Canyon advanced in the 6A Playoffs with a clean sweep over No. 8 Davis, winning 26-24, 25-20, 25-23. Cooper Varner spearheaded the Chargers’ attack with 17 kills and added three aces to his performance. Phillip Mayer and Nick Heilig contributed with 10 and eight kills, respectively, while Archer Burke orchestrated the offense with 33 assists.
Herriman 3, Skyridge 2
Rylan Petitt’s impressive performance helped lift No. 5 Herriman to a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Skyridge in the 6A Playoffs. Herriman played will in the first two sets, winning 25-21 in both, but struggled with serving in the third and fourth sets, allowing Skyridge to claw back with scores of 25-18 and 25-17. In a decisive fifth set, Herriman held their nerve to edge out Skyridge 15-12 and advance to the 6A quarterfinals.
Lehi 3, Pleasant Grove 0
No. 4 Lehi swept defending 6A champion No. 13 Pleasant Grove in the first round of the 6A Playoffs with set scores of 25-23, 26-24, and 25-17. Ashton Shewell led the Pioneers with 13 kills, supported by Dylan Avery with 11 and Ian Wilson contributing eight. The Pioneers’ offensive efforts were orchestrated by Ty Renolds, who tallied 38 assists.
Mountain Ridge 3, Copper Hills 0
No. 3 Mountain Ridge swept No. 14 Copper Hills 3-0 in the 6A playoffs with decisive scores of 25-19, 25-18, and 25-16. The Sentinels showcased a dominant offensive display, led by Nesta Vaitai’s 12 kills. Clark Fowler contributed significantly with nine kills of his own. The victory advances Mountain Ridge to the 6A quarterfinal.
Riverton 3, Syracuse 0
No. 11 Riverton dominated No. 6 Syracuse in a decisive 3-0 sweep during the 6A playoffs. The Silverwolves overwhelmed the Titans with set scores of 25-17, 25-15, and 25-11. Cache Kim led Riverton with eight kills, while Landon Lewis contributed six and Dante Jett added five. The Silverwolves’ strong offensive performance propelled them to a commanding victory over the Titans.
Westlake 3, American Fork 0
No. 2 Westlake advanced in the 6A Playoffs with a convincing 3-0 victory over No. 15 American Fork, propelled by Kilika Tafa’s performance of 13 kills. The Thunder took the sets with scores of 26-24, 25-12, and 25-18.
Lone Peak 3, Farmington 2
Brady Holt’s performance on the net was pivotal for the No. 7 Lone Peak Knights as they edged out the No. 10 Farmington Phoenix 3-2 in a thrilling 6A Playoffs match. Despite losing the first two sets 25-20 and 26-24, Lone Peak rallied to take the next two sets 25-14 and 26-24, forcing a decisive fifth set. In a tightly contested finale, the Knights emerged victorious with a 16-14 win.