6A quarterfinals
Corner Canyon 3, American Fork 0
Corner Canyon bounced back in a dramatic way after a close second set against American Fork in the 6A quarterfinal. It opened the third set on a dominant 10-0 run to put the Cavemen away and advance in the playoffs.
“We’re a little inconsistent,” said Corner Canyon head coach Mindy Ricks. “We’ve got some young kids on our team, so they’ve been figuring out the pressure of state, and the environment’s loud. There’s a lot of people here, and I’m proud of the way they work to battle through and figure things out.”
Berkleigh Minnick and Halle Bills led the Chargers with eight kills each. Nafanua Alofipo orchestrated the attack while also pitching in on the scoring with 25 assists and four kills.
While the second set ended solidly in favor of Corner Canyon 25-19, it wasn’t the cleanest set. But the Chargers made up for it with a dominant 25-16 third set.
“We just talked about playing our game and following the game plan we came in with and making the adjustments on the court, keeping things simple, and it made a big difference for us,” Ricks said.
Mountain Ridge 3, Bingham 1
No. 3 Mountain Ridge looked good after it took a 2-0 lead over No. 6 Bingham in the 6A quarterfinal. It was about to put the game away in the third set until Bingham made a gutsy run to extend the game.
The Miners then came out hot in the fourth set and took a 12-7 lead. While a reverse sweep looked possible, the Sentinels didn’t panic and fought back to win the fourth set and the game 3-1.
“They’ve done a good job of just being gritty and having composure all year,” said Mountain Ridge head coach Bryan Nicholson. “They’re not panicked. We come into a timeout and I just see calmness in their faces, so they’ve kind of developed that through this whole season, and have been able to come out and dig themselves out of holes.”
Mountain Ridge sported a balanced attack as Avery Dipo and London Eberhardt each tallied 11 kills, Lexi Rushton had 10, Lucy Coombs had eight and Maia Morin had seven.
Its defense also looked good in the quarterfinal win as it piled on the blocks and made Bingham’s hitters’ lives difficult.
The biggest thing that stood out to Nicholson in day one was how his relatively inexperienced squad handled the pressure at the state tournament.
“Without having a ton of experience at the state level because we graduated a lot of girls last year, they’re not missing a look,” Nicholson said. “They’re playing like veterans. I’m super happy with, like, their energy on the court. That’s something that you can’t really teach.”
Skyridge 3, Herriman 0
Top-seeded Skyridge dominanted day one of the 6A state tournament, clearing both No. 17 Westlake and No. 8 Herriman 3-0.
“We had a good two-week practice schedule before this,” said Skyridge head coach Siale Hifo. “I think they put in a lot of work and they were just prepared and then they executed.”
Falcons’ Hadyn Smith and Kylie Buttars continued their day-one domination with 12 and 15 kills respectively in the quarterfinal. Setter Lily Grant continued to set up her teammates with 29 assists.
Skyridge did exactly what it was supposed to as the arguable best team in the state and made everything look easy. The team goes into day two looking for its first state championship since 2018.
“It is a lot of pressure, but for me, I feel like pressure is a privilege, and I try to teach that to the girls,” Hifo said. “We’re always going to know we’re going to play a good team, so we try not to focus on the seed that we came in as, and we’re just going to play the same no matter who’s on the other side.”
Syracuse 3, Lone Peak 0
Every year when the state tournament rolls around, you can pretty much assume the 13-time state champion Lone Peak will be a shoe-in for a day two appearance.
Well, this year you’d be wrong. It missed out on the second day for the first time in a decade. On the other hand, Syracuse is headed to a state semifinal for the first time since 2022.
It was barred from a championship appearance back then in a 3-0 sweep to Lone Peak. Now it was the Titans’ turn to halt Lone Peak as it earned a convincing 25-20, 25-16 and 25-21 sweep over the Knights.
“I think Syracuse and our program has been underestimated a lot for years,” said Syracuse head coach Megan Allred. “We’ve had good players come in and out. Our goal this year was to get over that hump and and make it to the semis and have a run at a state championship.”
Outside hitter Avery Erickson led the offense with 13 kills. Emily Kenison and McKinley Barkdull each had nine kills, while Brinley Barkdull added eight.
Syracuse’s gauntlet to the 6A title game won’t end there. The Titans will have to play top-seeded Skyridge in Thursday’s semifinals. The Falcons were the hottest team of the day.
Regardless, Syracuse is playing with a deeper confidence than before and is ready for whatever day two brings.
“(Tomorrow) we’re going in there being disciplined and knowing that we do belong there,” Allred said. “We should be there and we should believe in ourselves. I think that’s been something that we’ve lacked in the past and so we’re just going after it and being able to pursue a state championship is awesome. I’m just so proud of them.”
6A second round
Herriman 3, Weber 1
No. 8 Herriman advanced in the 6A playoffs with a 3-1 victory over No. 9 Weber, bolstered by strong performances from their middle blockers and libero Elsie Jones. The Mustangs took the first two sets decisively, 25-18 and 25-23, before Weber rallied to claim the third set 25-19. Herriman sealed the win with another 25-23 score in the fourth set.
Syracuse 3, Riverton 0
No. 5 Syracuse Titans swept No. 12 Riverton Silverwolves in straight sets, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21. McKinley Barkdull led the Titans’ offensive charge with 12 kills and four aces. Teammates Avery Erickson and Brinley Barkdull each contributed eight kills. The Titans, now 17-6, advanced with a dominant performance over the 9-15 Silverwolves.
Lone Peak 3, Davis 0
No. 4 Lone Peak advanced with a decisive 3-0 sweep over No. 13 Davis. Ava Burgess led the way with 14 kills, hitting .423, while adding eight aces and 16 digs. Alexa Warner contributed significantly with 11 kills and a hitting percentage of .500. The Knights dominated each set, winning 25-14, 25-13, and 25-12.
Skyridge 3, Westlake 0
No. 1. Skyridge displayed an impressive offensive performance to sweep No. 17 Westlake 3-0 in the 6A playoffs, demonstrating their dominance with set scores of 25-8, 25-8 and 25-14. Kylie Buttars led the Falcons with 18 kills, supported by Hadyn Smith’s contribution of 14 kills. The team showcased exceptional efficiency, hitting .535 as a unit. Westlake struggled to keep pace, falling short in all three sets.
Mountain Ridge 3, Copper Hills 0
No. 3. Mountain Ridge emerged victorious in a dominant 3-0 sweep over No. 14 Copper Hills. Lucy Coombs was instrumental in the Sentinels’ win, contributing nine kills and four blocks, while Lexi Rushton also added nine kills. Mountain Ridge cruised through the first set 25-11, but faced a tougher challenge in the second, edging out a 28-26 win. They secured their spot in the quarterfinal with a 25-21 win in the third set.
Corner Canyon 3, Layton 0
No. 2 Corner Canyon powered past No. 15 Layton in a decisive 3-0 sweep. The Chargers’ Halle Bills dominated the court with 12 kills and added pressure with three aces. Nafanua Alofipo played a pivotal role in orchestrating the attack with 34 assists, ensuring a controlled and consistent offense. Although Layton found some momentum in the final set, closing it at 25-22, Corner Canyon’s superior play in the first and second sets, winning 25-15 and 25-11 respectively, solidified their victory.
American Fork 3, Lehi 1
No. 7 American Fork surged past No. 10 Lehi in a 3-1 victory, riding on the solid performances of Macy Melville and Destinie Hampton. Melville led the offense with 14 kills, while Hampton contributed 10 kills along with four aces. Brynn Murray’s six aces were crucial in sealing the win for the Cavemen. American Fork claimed the third and fourth sets decisively with scores of 25-14 and 25-16, overturning a narrow second-set loss.
Bingham 3, Farmington 0
In the second round of the 6A playoffs, No. 6 Bingham swept No. 11 Farmington with a decisive 3-0 victory. Alexis Carlson led the Miners with 14 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. Sara Hawes contributed with 10 kills of her own. Farmington managed to push the first set to 28-26, but struggled to maintain momentum, dropping the next two sets 25-14 and 25-19.