Here’s a recap of the 5A boys volleyball state tournament second round and quarterfinal games at UVU on Wednesday, with Wasatch, Bountiful, Maple Mountain and Olympus advancing to Thursday’s final day.
5A quarterfinals
Maple Mountain 3, Spanish Fork 0
Two-time 5A state champion Maple Mountain took care of business at UVU on Wednesday afternoon as it moves two wins away from a 3-peat.
No. 3 seed Maple Mountain eased past No. 11 seed Spanish Fork for the 25-15, 25-19, 25-21 quarterfinal win to advance to Thursday’s semis.
The Golden Eagles will play in the 5A semifinals at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
“I think my team is just so hungry for another opportunity and we’re just so grateful to be in a situation where we can compete and go on a run for another championship,” said Maple Mountain coach Napolean Galang. “We preach family in our program and at any point, we put in multiple different people from our bench and they’ve been able to score points for us at any point. So I think just a whole team effort outside of our starting six has been a huge factor in our success.”
Galang had high praise for Taft Hillman for his performance in the win over Spanish Fork for run the offense and getting everyone involved.
Much of that setting went to senior outside Sol Krommenhoek who controlled the match at the net.
“He’s our opposite, and he’s just been our x-factor that’s just been getting a ton of points,” said Galang.
McKay Beattie played a key role defensively in both wins for Maple Mountain, as Galang said the sophomore libero has really emerged as one of the top defenders in the state.
Bountiful 3, Viewmont 2
When Bountiful was called for a center line violation at the end of the second set of Wednesday’s 5A quarterfinal, the No. 2-seed Redhawks suddenly found themselves trailing No. 10 seed Viewmont 2-0 and in danger of suffering a pretty big upset.
Despite the longer odds, Bountiful coach Sarah Chism was confident in her team’s ability at a reverse sweep — after all, that’s what it did in the final game of the regular season against Olympus.
And on Wednesday, with a spot in the semifinals on the line, that’s exactly what the Bountiful did again, rallying past Viewmont for the 20-25, 22-25, 25-23, 30-28, 15-10 victory.
“We already had that experience of being battle-tested and knowing what it was going to take to grind out point for point for point. So they never stopped feeling like they could come back. That is something we have been working on and trying to learn the whole season. And I think they really did there at the end. It was awesome to see,” said Chism.
Bountiful’s serving helped turn the tied in the third set according to Chism. In the first two sets, she said her players had a lot of uncharacteristic misses.
“We started settling in with our serve and hitting our spots, which makes your blocking better and your defense better. And I think that kind of helped, even that third set, that was a grind. Grinding it out,” said Chism.
In the key fourth set that Bountiful won 30-28, Landon Chism won it on an ace. The senior also finished with nine kills, with junior Aidan Sanford leading the team with 12 kills.
With the win, Bountiful advances to Thursday’s 5A semifinal at 10 a.m. where it will face No. 3 seed and two-time defending state champ Maple Mountain.
Top seed Wasatch’s hitting efficiency was off the charts in Wednesday’s dominant 5A quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Brighton.
Grant Hansen was on fire hitting .458 with 12 kills, while Chase Billeter hit .375 with 16 kills and JJ Serre hit .400 with 10 kills as the Wasps made quick work in the 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 win.
With the win, Wasatch advances to Thursday morning’s semifinal against No. 4 seed Olympus at 10 a.m.
After sweeping both matches on Wednesday, Wasatch put itself in the best position possible to success on Thursday’s final day of the season.
A year ago Wasatch needed five sets to win both of its Day 1 games, and fatigue seemed to catch up to the players in a championship loss to Maple Mountain as players were cramping up according to coach Mike Wilton.
“We wanted to make sure we’re taking care of business today, show our opponents the respect they deserve by giving them your absolute best effort and playing as hard as you can and hopefully that equates to straight-set finishes so that we can rest a little bit and not have used up too much of our reserves,” said Wilton.
Playing four matches in less than 36 hours can be exhausting, but Wasatch is in a favorable position to succeed after a strong performance Wednesday.
“We hope to have something in the tank for tomorrow because it’s going to be a battle,” said Wilton.
Wasatch’s “heavy hitters,” as Wilton called them, helped set the tone against Brighton, but their willingness to be relentless defensively was just as important.
“We’ve played against teams that just frustrate you because they just never let a ball drop, no matter how hard you hit the ball or what kind of a great block you make, they find a way to get it and I’m like, ‘guys, that’s the kind of team we want to be,’” said Wilton. “And so that’s been a point of focus too, like hey, relentless on defense, never give up on a play, always get after it.”
Olympus 3, Salem Hills 1
There was no way Olympus was going to take Salem Hills lightly in Wednesday afternoon’s 5A quarterfinal.
The 12th-seeded Skyhawks had upset No. 5 seed Pleasant Grove just a couple hours earlier, which certainly got the attention of the No. 4 seed ahead of their match.
“I told them in the beginning, don’t overlook any team. We just go one game at a time, one set at a time, and don’t overlook anybody and play our own game,” said Olympus coach John Wright. “That’s the only way we’re going to do it is control our own side, control what we can control, and we’ll be fine.”
That focus helped Olympus take care of business against Salem Hills for the 25-22, 23-25, 25-14, 25-19 win. It advances to Thursday’s 5A semis where it will take on top seed Wasatch at 10 a.m.
After narrowly losing in the second set, the Titans played relentlessly the next two sets to seal the win.
“In the third they really were relaxed and started playing together again and let go. They really wanted to win and they showed that they did,” added Wright.
Olympus’ coach had high praise for senior Caden Fowler, who despite missing the past two weeks with an ankle injury hit well and blocked well in the quarterfinal win.
Fellow senior outside hitters Gabe Lincoln and Oz Smylie both had efficient hitting games as well, while libero Luke Howell played great defense according to his coach.
5A second round
Salem Hills 3, Pleasant Grove 0
After losing to Pleasant Grove twice in region play, Salem Hills got the final say in the most important match of the season between the two teams as the No. 12 seed Skyhawks prevailed in the 5A second round 28-26, 27-25, 25-19 over the fifth-seeded Vikings. Senior outside hitter Eli Baldwin led Salem Hills in kills, and also had a strong game blocking along with sophomore Ari Kendall. Kooper Stewart chipped in with four aces as Salem Hills built momentum throughout the match with two tight wins in the first two sets.
Olympus 3, West Field 0
No. 4 seed Olympus dominated No. 20 seed West Field in the 5A second round at UVU on Wednesday, rolling in all three sets to the 25-11, 25-11, 25-20 victory. Oz Smylie had a great game for the Titans hitting from the back row, while outside hitter Gabe Lincoln had a strong game hitting as well. Coach John Wright credited middle Garrett Thain with a strong game at the net.
Brighton 3, Springville 2
No. 8 seed Brighton eked out a marathon nail-biter over No. 9 seed Springville in the 5A opening round of the state tournament at UVU on Wednesday, prevailing 17-25, 28-26, 25-14, 13-25, 17-15. Jameson Morzelewski had a big game on both sides of the net for Brighton, finishing with 17 kills and eight blocks, with Corbin Nielsen chipping in with seven kills and six blocks. Junior setter Ethan Merkley finished with 34 assists and 10 digs as the Bengals advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Wasatch.
Wasatch 3, Skyline 0
Top seed Wasatch marched past No. 16 seed Skyline 25-16, 26-22, 25-23 for the 5A second-round victory at UVU on Wednesday. Chase Bills racked up 15 kills and hit .357 for the Wasps, while JJ Serre recorded 11 kills and hit .364 on top of being very disruptive defensively at the net. Setter Nate Burton had a strong game passing, and also recorded three blocks and served well.
Spanish Fork 3, West Jordan 0
Alec Bluth and Jace Andersen both had strong games hitting as No. 11 seed Spanish Fork swept No. 6 seed West Jordan in the 5A second round at UVU on Wednesday, 25-14, 25-20, 25-20. Andersen finished the game with 13 kills, while Bluth added 10 kils and three aces. Sam Cook chipped in with seven kills, while libero Braxton Valle had a strong game defensively with 17 digs.
Maple Mountain 3, Clearfield 0
No. 3 seed Maple Mountain rolled past No. 14 seed Clearfield in the 5A second round at UVU on Wednesday, 25-10, 25-15, 25-15. Coach Napolean Galang said it was a great overall team victory for the Golden Eagles. Junior middle Abe Hawkins and senior Sol Krommenhoek provided a great 1-2 punch at the net leading the team in kills. Taft Hillman tallied several aces in the win, as Maple Mountain advanced to the quarterfinals.
Viewmont 3, Box Elder 1
After dropping the first set, No. 10 seed Viewmont rallied past No. 7 seed Box Elder for the 5A second round victory, 20-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 at UVU. Senior Carson Tovey had a monster game in the win for the Vikings as he finished with 25 kills, 22 digs and two blocks. Setter Dallin Lether paced the offense with 51 assists, while senior libero Jonathan Williquette had a strong game passing with 28 digs.
Bountiful 3, Alta 0
No. 2 seed Bountiful made quick work of No. 15 seed Alta in the 5A second round at UVU on Wednesday, prevailing 25-21, 25-21, 25-23 for its third win over Alta this season. Bountiful junior libero Jared Calder had a great game passing to pace the Redhawks’ defense in the win. Aidan Sanford tallied eight kills and two aces for the Bountiful, while Matt Pulsipher game up clutch in the third set recording three solo blocks to help secure a quarterfinal berth.