High school boys volleyball: 3A semifinals recap, defending champ Morgan and Ogden advance to championship

3A semifinals

Ogden 3, Juab 0

Throughout Day 1 of the 3A state volleyball tournament, top seed Ogden hit fast and accurately. The Tigers dominated both their quarterfinal and semifinal, including a 3-0 sweep over Juab for a spot in the 3A state championship.

“Everything just came together,” said Ogden head coach Tim Wright. “The work that they’ve been putting in really was showing up and all of the little things that we’ve been talking to them really came through and paid off.”

Outside hitter Keen Crowther led Ogden, finishing with 24 kills with a .362 hitting efficiency. But it wasn’t just him, as James Taukiuvea and Kos Crowther added nine kills each, and Ogden hit .337 as a team. The Tigers played clean all around, including blocks and passing.

Saturday’s championship game will be the first for Ogden despite being close the previous two years, and the Tigers plan to make the most of it.

“The message to the team is, ‘We’re going to show everybody why we got the No. 1 seed and that Ogden is a force to be reckoned with,’” Wright said.

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Morgan 3, North Sanpete 1

If No. 2 Morgan has proved anything through the first three years of sanctioned boys’ volleyball in Utah, it’s that the Trojans will always be a contender at the state tournament.

This year is no different.

Morgan took care of business with a 3-1 win over North Sanpete in the semifinals for a chance at a second consecutive 3A state title.

“It’s harder than people think it is,” Morgan coach Kyle Komenda said. “Just because to stay motivated, to make sure we’re locked in and doing the things we need to do and attention to detail, it’s not easy.”

Throughout Day 1 Friday, Trojans’ middle David Thomsen was dominant on the net defensively. He had 10 blocks in the quarterfinals against Logan and eight in the semis.

Outside hitter Kevin Wangsgard was also one of the premier players. Wangsgard had 16 kills against Logan and 24 against North Sanpete.

Morgan will face No. 1 Ogden in Saturday’s championship match. The Trojans and Tigers split the season series.

“We’re feeling really good,” Komenda said. “Last time we played, we won. We thought we figured some things out, but they’re tough. I think we identified them early on that they’re going to be the most difficult team to play.”

3A quarterfinals

Ogden 3, Carbon 0

Top seed Ogden made quick work of No. 9 seed Carbon in the 3A quarterfinals at UVU on Friday, winning 25-11, 25-11, 25-18.

Keen Crowther helped the Tigers jump out fast and he finished the game with 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, in addition to nine digs.

Jed Van Tassell also hit .500 for Ogden as he added six kills. Aiden Holbrook had a strong match defensively for Ogden, contributing 10 digs to go along with three aces.

Juab 3, Grantsville 1

In a tight 3A quarterfinal game throughout, No. 4 seed Juab pounced back from a third-set loss to No. 5 seed Grantsville for the 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21 win at UVU on Friday.

Junior middle Spencer Hall had a strong game, attacking with 13 kills, with senior Zachary Morrell chipping in with nine. Libero Ethan Tuckett had 36 serve-receives, with Kamen Allred chipping in with three aces on 21 serves.

Juab advances to face top seed Ogden in the semifinals.

Morgan 3, Logan 0

No. 2 seed Morgan rolled into the 3A semifinals with a convincing 25-22, 25-7, 25-13 win over No. 7 seed Logan in the 3A quarterfinals at UVU on Friday.

Senior Kevin Wangsgard led the way offensively for Morgan with 16 kills, while freshman Ben Komenda chipped in with nine.

Defensively, junior middle David Thomsen dominated the net with 10 blocks.

North Sanpete 3, Manti 0

Senior Cole Booher notched 14 kills, and fellow senior Sean Allred added 24 assists as No. 3 seed North Sanpete cruised past No. 6 seed Manti for the 3A quarterfinal win at UVU on Friday afternoon, 25-15, 25-10, 25-17.

The Hawks were firmly in control the whole match, including building a 15-1 lead in the second set. Outside hitters Sai Lolesio and Carson Bench both had strong games hitting as well for North Sanpete with seven kills apiece.