Bountiful

The defending 5A state champion entered the 2022 state tournament Nov. 3-5 at Utah Valley University as the No. 1 seed. After a first-round bye, Bountiful beat Box Elder 25-9, 25-18, 25-11.

Jordyn and Taylor Harvey combined for 25 kills to lead the offense while Evalyn Chism served up nine aces. At the net defensively, Taylor Harvey and Macie Johnson each had three blocks while Elle Burleson recorded 15 digs and Chism added 10. 

In the quarterfinals against Timpanogos, the Redhawks won 25-14, 25-9, 25-14 behind 16 kills from Jordyn Harvey, 11 from Taylor Harvey and nine from Claire Cook. Jordyn Harvey and Johnson both served three aces with Burleson’15 digs and Taylor Harvey’s five blocks leading the defense.

Against a “very talented” Timpview team – the eventual 5A champion – in the semifinals, according to head coach Sarah Chism, Bountiful lost 25-21, 16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-8 in a two-and-a-half hour match. 

“We were point for point the whole match, and it just didn’t go our way in the end,” Sarah Chism said.

Jordyn Harvey pounded down 21 kills with Taylor Harvey adding 14 and Cook 12. Defensively, Burleson’s 21 digs led the team while Evi Chism recorded 11 and Jordyn Harvey 10 with Milika Satuala stuffing six blocks at the net.

Within minutes of the Redhawks’ semis loss, the team was back on the court for the third/fourth place game against Maple Mountain. After bypassing their warm up time, they went and outlasted the Golden Eagles in another five-setter 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-12.

“After our heartbreaking loss to Timpview, our girls picked themselves up and took the floor one last time. They were physically exhausted but mentally able to will themselves to win against an excellent team and left everything they had on the court,” said coach Chism. “Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of this group of girls. We have always been known as a physical team that has a lot of athletic ability, but this tournament showed that when you have those physical setbacks in life, you can reach deep and play with heart.”

Jordyn Harvey had a monster match with 39 kills and 27 digs while Taylor Harvey added 18 kills and 26 digs. On defense, Burleson had 22 digs and Evi Chism and Cook had 11 and 10, respectively with Johnson and Satuala both recording five blocks each at the net.

Evi Chism ran the Bountiful offense with 158 assists over the four matches.

The Redhawks finished with a 29-2 overall record while losing just 10 sets the entire year.

Jordyn Harvey led the team with 480 kills and 270 digs while Taylor Harvey had the highest hitting percentage – at .471 percent – along with a team-high 86 blocks. Evi Chism served 57 aces and recorded 1,005 assists, eclipsing the 3,000 career assists mark this season and ending with 3,333.

“These girls are all amazing,” coach Chism said. “Our seniors took the team on their backs and saw it to the end. Players stepped up in big moments and the bench cheered to the end. It was a great season and will always be remembered as one of my favorites.”

Davis

After a first-round bye in the 6A state tournament, No. 5 seeded Davis lost to Weber 25-20, 25-22, 25-21 Nov. 3 at Utah Valley University. 

Aubrey Nielson put away nine kills while Loryn Helgesen (eight kills), Leah Clark (seven) and Brinley Bush (seven) – along with Aimee Larsen’s three aces – also added offense for the Darts in the loss. Defensively, Helgesen had three blocks at the net with Brinley Bush and Nielson recording 12 and 10 digs, respectively, on the back line.

In the consolation bracket, Davis beat Farmington 25-23, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22 behind Nielson’s 18 kills. Bush (12 kills) and Helgesen (10) were also key on offense while Helgesen and Nielson both had four blocks for the Darts’ defense. Four players had double figures in digs, led by Cambria White with 22, Bush with 18, Nielson with 14 and Larsen with 10.

Against Copper Hills, Davis outlasted the Grizzlies 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 27-25, 15-7 with 20 kills from Nielson, 16 from Helgesen and 10 from Bush and three aces from Larsen. 

“That was definitely a highlight from state for us,” said head coach McKay Barker. “Copper Hills is an awesome team and they have had a lot of success this season. It was so fun to watch our team come out so strong and aggressive in set four and five. We had three players with double-digit kills and Cambria White continues her awesome defensive performance all season.”

On defense, Helgesen and Bush combined for 13 blocks with White getting up 29 digs, Bush 20 and Nielson 12, contributing to the team’s 76 total digs.

In the sixth/eighth place match, the Darts lost to Corner Canyon 25-13, 25-20, 25-22.

Helgesen – who ended the year second in the state in hitting percentage at .446 – put away seven kills along with Nielson to lead Davis on offense with Helgesen stuffing four blocks at the net. White recorded 12 digs and Bush added 10 defensively.

Larsen ran the offense at the state tournament with 159 assists in the four matches.

“There were so many successes this season,” Barker said. “It has been so fun to see these girls develop as individuals and teammates over the season. As coaches we would like to thank all the seniors for dedicating so much time and energy to our team this season; things definitely would not be the same without them.”

The top 10 finish for the Darts concluded a 23-9 season.

Farmington

Farmington came into the 6A state tournament seeded 13th and faced No. 20 Roy in the first round, beating the Royals 25-9, 25-13, 25-19 Nov. 1.

Sophie Wendt led the Phoenix squad with 11 kills while Mele Fiefia added eight kills and also served up four aces. On defense, Jocelyn McQuivey and Lydia Schwemmer had double figures in digs with 16 and 11, respectively.

“Our girls gave one-hundred percent effort in this match and truly showed their talent,” said head coach Kate Hawkes.

In the second round, Farmington took fourth-seeded Skyridge to the brink before falling 25-27, 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14 Nov. 3 at Utah Valley University.

Wendt had a double-double with 20 kills and 20 digs to lead the team with Ellie Pace recording 12 kills – and Fiefia and Kenna Liwanag recording three aces each – to also pace the offense. Wendt’s four blocks at the net were tops defensively while the team produced 121 team digs, including McQuivey with 37, Fiefia with 26, Schwemmer with 16 and Liwanag with 13.

In its final 3-1 loss against, Wendt had 19 kills and 19 digs with Fiefia also having a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs. On defense, Laina Whitney had four blocks at the net with McQuivey (30 digs), Liwanag (14) and Schwemmer (10) recording double-digit digs for the Phoenix.

Liwanag and Wendt ran the offense at the state tournament with 64 assists each in the team’s three matches.

“Our group was the true definition of a team,” Hawkes said. “They stuck together through the ups and downs, supported each other no matter what, and played with all their hearts.”

Farmington finished the year with a 15-13 record.

“I want to acknowledge the seven seniors [Fiefia, Liwanag, McQuivey, Schwemmer, Wendt, Maggie Humenansky and Marissa Marchant] that helped to create an atmosphere of love, effort and motivation,” Barker said. “Throughout the season, they battled to earn a spot on the varsity court and challenged and pushed each other to make our team better than when we started. I am proud to be the coach of such amazing student-athletes.”

Viewmont

Viewmont defeated Uintah in the first round of the 5A state tournament 25-10, 25-17, 25-17. Liza Montalbo led the Vikings with 11 kills while Vanessa Haddock added seven. Macey Christian and Montalbo combined for nine aces from the serving line while Christian ran the offense with 20 assists. Defensively, Christian recorded seven digs to lead the team.

For the third time this season, Viewmont faced Northridge – this time in the second round of the tournament – and although the Vikings were hoping for a different outcome this time around, they again lost to the Knights 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-13.

“The match really could have gone either way,” said head coach Cathy Hope. “We won the fourth set with the momentum on our side and then had a slow start to the fifth set and just couldn’t catch up.”

In the consolation bracket, Viewmont lost to Park City 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 26-24. 

“That was a hard loss,” Hope said. “After the first set, I thought we would beat them in three for sure. Then, our setter Macey was struggling with a migraine and needed to sit out most of the second set and really just didn’t feel well the rest of the game. That hurt us going into the second match and we just really couldn’t get back on top. It was a hard way to lose, especially looking at the brackets. I feel like we could have gone through and finished off in sixth place, but there are some battles you can’t fight and illness is one of them.”

The Vikings finished the season with an 11-14 record.

“Overall, our season had a lot of bumps in the road,” Hope said. “They are a great team, in fact some of the best talent I’ve ever coached. Those graduating [Christian, Montalbo, Berklie Adamson, Taylor Hope and Ashley Veach] will be missed for sure!”

Woods Cross

Woods Cross defeated Payson 25-15, 25-16, 25-19 in the first round of the 5A state tournament before losing to Mountain View 25-14, 25-18, 25-19 in the second round.

In the consolation round, the Wildcats beat Cedar Valley 25-21, 25-17, 25-17 behind 17 kills from Olivia Ruy with Akilisi Pahulu and Avery Poulton adding seven kills each.

Ruy also served five aces for the offense with Dani Brey leading on the back line with 17 digs and Ruy adding 10. Avery Poulton stuffed three blocks at the net to also contribute on the defensive end.

Wood Cross outlasted Orem in a slugfest 25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-9 with Ruy recording a double-double of 22 kills and 17 digs.

Poulton added 16 kills while Brey and Millie Oscarson had four aces each. Brey led the defense with 18 digs.

In the sixth/eighth place match, the Wildcats lost to Park City 25-21, 24-26, 25-14, 25-20.

“We headed to UVU ranked 15th,” said head coach Josey Hilton. “I wanted the girls to make memories, give one-hundred percent effort and enjoy the moment. We ended eighth in the state for 5A, beating some really good teams.”

The Wildcats ended the season with a 15-17 mark.

“It is always a little tough when a new coach comes in, adjusting to a new culture and new expectations. However, this team and these girls were amazing,” Hilton said. “Our goal was to be ranked high enough to get home-site advantage for the first playoff match, which we did. I am so proud of these girls and the hard work they put in.” λ