6A quarterfinals
Corner Canyon 3, Bingham 0
Defending 6A champion and No. 1 seed Corner Canyon knew it was going to see everyone’s best on day one of the 6A tournament. That couldn’t be more true in its 6A quarterfinal match with No. 8 Bingham.
The 3-0 score might not show it, but the Chargers weathered the rolling Miners and advanced to the 6A semifinals after the 25-21, 30-28 and 25-18 sweep of Bingham.
“We’ve been battling through some injuries over the past couple of weeks, so this is the first real time we’ve had everyone back,” said Chargers’ coach Mindy Ricks. “The prep this last week was, ‘Are we whole? Are we ready? Can we put forth everything we need?’ Bingham looked great. We played them early on in the season, and you can tell they’ve really worked hard. I’m proud of how we played.”
While Corner Canyon got out to a 25-21 win in the opening set, Bingham made the Chargers’ lives difficult in set two. The Miners fought back all the way to a 21-17 lead. However, Corner Canyon turned the dial up on its hitting to climb back and take the 30-28 set win.
Maija Mortensen led the way with 15 kills, while Leah Schaub added eight. Setter Nafanua Alofipo dished out 31 assists in the win.
After the second set, Corner Canyon carried the momentum into the final set and earned a 9-4 lead. However, Bingham was not willing to go away that easily and evened it at 14-14.
Still, the top-seeded Chargers took control and sailed to the 25-18 victory.
“We have been working on playing with the mindset, ‘Play to win instead of playing not to lose,’” Ricks said. “Just asking them to go out there and really show what we can do rather than being scared and tight and holding back. So in those moments when we had that little bit of a blip, the kids really had to work hard, pull together, and play as a team.”
Lone Peak 3, Mountain Ridge 1
Ava Burgess is yet another Burgess sister who has been a star for Lone Peak. After missing time due to playing with the U19 and U21 national teams and recovering from a knee injury, she’s back and led No. 4 Lone Peak to a 3-1 win over Mountain Ridge in the 6A quarterfinal. She led the Knights with 17 kills in Tuesday’s game.
Lone Peak got out to a dominant start. It made quick work of the Sentinels, 25-10 in set one, and then took a two-set lead with a 25-18 win. However, Mountain Ridge fought back hard after set three.
The Knights responded with another dominant set to close the game and outscored Mountain Ridge 25-14.
“I think our whole demeanor changed,” said Lone Peak coach Kalee Faumui of her team’s response. “Our intensity picked up a little bit, and we started going after balls that we were letting drop.”
Lone Peak outside hitter Chevelle Peters had a nice game with 12 kills while hitting .385, and Cree Cooper added 10 kills while hitting .350.
Lone Peak will see a familiar face in Wednesday’s 6A semifinal game as they gear up to take on Region 3 foe Corner Canyon. The Knights last played the Chargers on Oct. 13, and won 3-1.
Skyridge 3, Weber 0
No. 2 Skyridge simply dominated day one of the 6A state tournament. The Falcons went 6-0 while never giving up more than 16 points in a set, including their 3-0 sweep of No. 7 Weber in the 6A quarterfinal.
“I think we prepared really well,” said Skyridge coach Tayler Hifo. “We just wanted to make sure that no matter who’s on the other side, we play our game no matter what. I think they did that well. We knew we had to earn every point, so we wanted to respect every team we play by playing our best.”
Skyridge had no issues against the Warriors, winning each set 25-15, 25-15 and 25-12.
Emma White led Skyridge with nine kills. Sienna Kuresa finished with eight kills while Lucy Meck and Anzlee Holt each finished with six. Skyridge also served well as a team with eight aces, four of which came from Kuresa.
The Falcons advance to the 6A semifinals, where they’ll face Region 3 foe American Fork.
American Fork 3, Syracuse 1
No. 6 American Fork was well prepared for its quarterfinal with No. 3 Syracuse on Tuesday. The Cavemen had been preparing for the likely quarterfinal matchup, and it paid off with a 3-1 win to advance to the semis.
Macy Melville was a weapon for American Fork. She had a team-high 19 kills, and did so efficiently, hitting .348. Destinie Hampton tallied 10 kills and Alivia Lemon added eight. Setter Brynn Murray dished out 35 assists in the win.
The Cavemen stunned the Titans with back-to-back set wins to start the game. However, Syracuse punched back with a 25-16 third-set win. American Fork had a slim lead late in the fourth quarter, but allowed the Titans to crawl back.
However, American Fork stifled the comeback and won the fourth set 26-24 for the quarterfinal victory.
“I’m really proud of them because they’ve worked hard to become more resilient this year,” said American Fork head coach Melissa Guymon. “They haven’t always been that way... We’ve spent a lot of time preparing for Syracuse, and every single rotation we knew exactly what we wanted to do, and my girls just came out and executed. I couldn’t ask for more.”
6A First Round
Bingham 3, Herriman 2
No. 8 Bingham rallied to edge No. 9 Herriman in a 3-2 playoff win. Nicalee Nordahl led the Miners with 17 kills, while Eliza Hall contributed 11. After dropping the first set 25-18, Bingham came back strong, taking the second and third sets with scores of 25-16 and 25-15. The Mustangs responded by claiming the fourth set 25-20, but the Miners clinched the decisive fifth set 17-15 to advance.
Corner Canyon 3, Cedar Valley 0
In a dominating performance, the top-seeded Corner Canyon Chargers swept the No. 16 Cedar Valley Aviators 3-0 in the 6A Playoffs. The Chargers took control from the outset, decisively winning each set 25-10, 25-14, and 25-16. Corner Canyon’s offense was relentless and proved too much for the Aviators to handle.
Mountain Ridge 3, Copper Hills 0
No. 5 Mountain Ridge dominated Region 2 foe Copper Hills in straight sets to secure a 3-0 victory in the 6A state tournament. The Sentinels showcased a strong performance, winning each set decisively: 25-16, 25-18, and 25-17.
Lone Peak 3, Layton 0
In a commanding performance, the No. 4 Lone Peak Knights defeated the Layton Lancers 3-0 in the 6A Playoffs. The Knights took charge from the outset, sweeping all three sets with scores of 25-12, 25-12, and 25-19.
American Fork 3, Farmington 1
No. 6 American Fork advanced in the 6A state tournament with a 3-1 victory over No. 11 Farmington, fueled by Macy Melville’s dominant 15 kills. Alivia Lemon and Destinie Hamption contributed 14 and 12 kills, respectively, in the high-energy clash. Brynn Murray and Hampton each added four aces to propel the Cavemen past the Phoenix. American Fork took the first set 25-17, and after narrowly dropping the second 22-25, they regrouped to win the next two sets, 25-19 and 25-19, sealing their playoff victory.
Syracuse 3, Westlake 0
In a dominant display, No. 3 Syracuse swept No. 14 Westlake with set scores of 25-17, 25-11, and 25-16 in the 6A Playoffs. Leading the way for the Titans were the Barkdull twins, Brinley Barkdull and McKinley Barkdull, who contributed a combined 17 kills. Brinley Barkdull also added three aces, while McKinley Barkdull had four, underlining their all-around performance.
Skyridge 3, Riverton 0
No. 2 Skyridge Falcons dominated the No. 15 Riverton Silverwolves in straight sets, winning 25-13, 25-16, 25-11. The Falcons, improving their record to 20-6, executed a relentless offensive attack from the outset, easily conquering the first set and maintaining their momentum throughout. Riverton, finishing the season at 8-18, struggled to find a rhythm against a superior Skyridge squad.
Weber 3, Lehi 2
The No. 7 Weber Warriors triumphed in a tight game in the 6A state tournament, edging out the No. 10 Lehi Pioneers 3-2. The match reached the fifth set, where the Warriors narrowly claimed victory with a 15-9 score. Bradey Schiffman led Weber with an 16 kills, while teammate Eden Montaño added 11 kills to the scoreboard. The Warriors showcased their resilience, overcoming a two-sets-to-one deficit to advance.