Davis

Davis hosted the Davis Classic Varsity Tournament Aug. 17-18 and lost just one set through six matches to win the title. 

“It was a great start to the season,” said head coach McKay Barker.

The Darts defeated Cedar 25-21, 25-12, 20-25, 25-12 behind 20 kills from senior Aubrey Nielson, 13 kills from senior Brinley Bush and 11 from senior Kenzie Edgmon. Junior Loryn Helgesen served up eight aces while also recording four blocks at the net. Senior Aimee Larsen ran the offense with 48 assists while senior Cambria White led defensively with 17 digs with Bush (12 digs) and Nielson (11 digs) also contributing on the back line.

Against Layton, Davis won 25-11, 25-15, 25-14 with 10 kills from Helgesen, five aces from Nielson, three blocks from Edgmon and 10 digs from Bush.

Nielson and Leah Clark both put away 10 kills while White had 12 digs to lead the Darts over West 25-17, 25-5, 25-8. 

Against Viewmont, Davis was led by Nielson’s 16 kills in a 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 win. Larsen and White combined for 28 digs while White had 42 assists in running the offense.

Nielson’s 16 kills and 17 digs proved to be tops in a 25-15, 25-17, 25-22 win over Farmington to help the Darts reach the title game in their tournament against Cedar. In that rematch, Davis swept the Reds 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 with a balanced offensive effort from Helgesen (eight kills), Bush (seven kills) and Nielson (five kills) while Bush also served up four aces. White’s 11 digs led the Darts defensively.

Davis is now 6-0 early in the season.

Bountiful

Bountiful swept Maple Mountain 25-18, 25-14, 25-19 Aug. 17.

Senior setter Evalyn Chism ran the offense with 36 assists while putting away four kills and serving an ace. Defensively, she also provided six digs and four blocks. The Harvey sisters – Jordyn and Taylor – both had 14 kills and combined for eight blocks and 10 digs.

“It was a fun match against a really good Maple Mountain team,” said head coach Sarah Chism. “We are starting to find our rhythm as a team, but know we have a lot to work on as the season is still so young.”

The Redhawks remain undefeated through three matches this season.

Farmington

Farmington defeated Stansbury 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 Aug. 16. The Phoenix were led by senior Sophie Wendt with 16 kills and 15 assists. Senior Kenna Liwanag recorded 12 assists and four aces to also help offensively while senior Marissa Marchant and junior Laina Whitney teamed up for six blocks at the net.

At the Davis Classic Varsity Tournament Aug. 17-18, Farmington went 3-2 with wins over Viewmont (twice) and Layton while losing to Cedar and Davis.

The Phoenix squad is 4-2 so far this year.

Viewmont

Viewmont placed fourth at the Davis Classic Varsity Tournament Aug. 17-18, defeating Layton and West and losing to Farmington, Davis and Cedar.

“We saw a lot of good things from middle blocker Maddie Lege, right-side Julia Baird and newcomer Vanessa Haddock,” said head coach Cathy Hope. “Macey Christian also led us in assists, serving and even threw in two to three blocks per match while playing a 5-1.”

Hope also noted her “all-around leader” in Liza Montalbo. “Offensively, she played well, hitting both from outside and right side as well as a few back-row kills.”

“This tournament is a great way to see our strengths and weaknesses,” Hope said.

The Vikings’ early season record is now 2-4.

Woods Cross

In its first match of the season, Woods Cross won the first set 25-22 against Bingham, who is ranked third in 6A, Aug. 16, but then fell 25-14, 26-24, 27-25 over the next three sets to lose the match.

“It didn’t end the way we wanted, but a lot of good things happened and a lot of learning,” said head coach Josey Hilton. “We need to reduce the number of errors with our missed serves and hitting errors and really focus on our serve receive.”

Hilton noted junior setter Anau Tua’one’s ability to run the offense and “engage all of our hitters,” with Liv Ruy putting away some “good kills” while also contributing defensively. Also on the back line, junior libero Dani Brey “had a good serve receive and defense game,” Hilton said.

Also on the WXHS 2022 varsity squad are seniors Lucy Phillips and Abby Preas; juniors Brianna Coleman, Sydney Gardner, Emma Johnson, Annie Lewis, Akilisi Pahulu, Anjali Sanford and Tea Sa; sophomores Gillian Anderson, Siniva Faumui, McCall Finlinson, Chloe Germane, Jaydee Hardy, Millie Oscarson and Maia Rudd; and freshmen Bailey Anderson, Sophia Burden, Adia Cook, Talaitupu Hunt, Olivia Matthews, Alexis Ormsby, Avery Poulton, Akaenesi Pututau, Daynette Pututau, Madison Schaerrer and Mamele Watanabe.

Hilton said a focus of her team this season is on serving from a serve-receive standpoint as well as tough serves from their own line. She also is emphasizing the mental aspect of the game, trying to help her players control their mindset on the court.λ