BHS boys VB remain in state’s top five
Apr 04, 2024 12:55PM ● By Catherine GarrettBountiful won two more matches this week while Farmington also won its match in a five-set thriller against Davis. Viewmont and Woods Cross both went 1-1 this week.
Bountiful
Third-ranked Bountiful defeated Viewmont 25-23, 25-12, 25-21 March 26.
“Trevor Cummings and Vicente Perez played great hustle defense for us,” said head coach Sarah Chism. “Kainoa Evans also had a great game serving with seven aces.”
Against Northridge March 28, the Redhawks again won in straight sets 25-12, 25-16, 25-10.
Bountiful’s record sits at 7-1.
Farmington
Farmington defeated Davis 25-22, 25-20, 16-25, 19-25, 16-14 March 28.
“It was a great game that was very tight and full of good rallies,” said head coach Fermin Soriano Bautista. “All players played at the level expected. Our team was big in blocks and serves and we defended fiercely. Davis was a great opponent.”
The Phoenix squad brought its season record to .500 at 5-5.
Viewmont
Viewmont lost in straight sets to Bountiful March 26.
“This was a tough test with a region opponent,” said head coach Karl Lippa. “Both teams played hard with a few lengthy rallies however, at the end of the night, their strong defense caused us to earn the points we could. I felt our serving was solid, and we need to put some more work into our serve-receive practice before we play them again. They are a strong opponent and I am excited to see growth on both sides before we play them again in the second wave of the region matchups.”
Against Woods Cross March 28, the Vikings won 25-15, 19-25, 27-25, 25-12.
“Both teams showed a strong control of each of the first two sets,” said Lippa. “The third set was the pivotal point in the match with Woods Cross leading most of the way until the last few points when we took those. Both teams experienced great hits along with inexperienced errors, which both teams will work to get better at throughout the rest of the season. Our serve-receive was strong in the first set which allowed our offense to run. We had some newer players step into key roles and do an excellent job creating opportunities for the team. Woods Cross is always a great match no matter the sport and it was exciting to watch both teams have success at different points in the match.”
Viewmont is 7-6 so far this season.
Woods Cross
Woods Cross beat Bonneville 25-19, 25-14, 25-14 March 26.
Senior right side hitter Cole Howard led the Wildcats with six kills, five aces and two blocks in the win. “Cole has a very aggressive serve and hits the ball hard from both the front and back row,” said head coach Josey Hilton. “He is finding his rhythm and has definitely become a leader and game-changer on the court, helping to move and retain our momentum.”
The junior varsity squad defeated the Lakers 25-18, 20-25, 15-8, 15-10 behind the play of King Tuivaiti. “King stepped up big for us, making some much-needed quality serves,” Hilton said. “He is really starting to find a rhythm both offensively and defensively on the court. As only a sophomore, he will be a fun player to watch develop over the next few seasons.”
The sophomores also beat Bonneville 25-19, 24-26, 15-11 with Wyatt Hunter showing up as the player of the match. “Wyatt delivered aggressive attacks from the front row and was tactical from the service line,” Hilton said. “Wyatt’s athleticism allows him to move to the ball quickly and give our setter a good pass. During the first set, he had a memorable dig from a hard-driven ball that immediately landed on their side which frustrated them and kept the momentum going on our side. With fune-tuning and more training, he can be one of those players you need to watch out for.”
In the 3-1 loss to Viewmont March 28, Woods Cross got off to a slow start. “We didn’t have a lot of energy or aggressiveness, both defensively or offensively and they were able to capitalize on that,” said Hilton. “We improved in the second set, decreasing our errors, helping us to win the set. The third set was a must-win set. We led throughout the set, but numerous service errors let them back in and we went point for point until they finally took the lead and the set. That was a big set from a momentum standpoint and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get it back.”
The junior varsity squad beat the Wildcats 23-25, 25-21, 15-12, 15-9, led by Wesley Lehman. “He was our court leader,” Hilton said. “He has become very consistent with his setting which, in turn, helps his teammates around him get better. As a team, we also leaned on Wes for his serving prowess. He stepped up and performed every time a challenge presented itself.”
The sophomore team defeated Woods Cross 25-20, 25-18 with Brayden Hass as the player of the match. “He has shown so much improvement and confidence in his passing and hitting,” Hilton said. “As an outside hitter, Brayden did an amazing job covering the back row and attacking with a variety of shots. We’re especially impressed with his digs when he was defending the middle back as every dig was high and to the setter location, providing our setters options on which set they could run. We’re so excited to see more from him.”
The Wildcats are now 4-9 on the year.
Davis
Davis lost to Copper Hills 20-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 12-15 March 26.
The Darts were led by junior Chase Valentine with 10 kills and three aces while junior Luke McKnight had nine kills and two aces and sophomore Jack Bennett ran the offense with 16 assists. Defensively, junior Brandon Sims had 11 digs on the back line with senior Brigham Garber recording six blocks at the net.
In Davis’ five-set loss against Farmington March 28, “Luke had a great game with 15 kills, hitting .419, passing a 2.4 and having nine digs,” said head coach McKay Barker. Valentine added 12 kills and nine digs while Bennett and Josh Wood combined for 31 assists in running the offense. Garber was again the leading blocker with four.
The Darts are now 7-3 on the year.