Bountiful

5A’s top-ranked team in Bountiful bounced back from a loss to 6A’s No. 2-seeded squad, Pleasant Grove, to take a 25-16, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21 win over Farmington Aug. 20.

“I was proud of the way the girls showed up for our first away game on the season,” said head coach Kelsie White. “We have a lot of work to do but it is always fun to compete and test ourselves. Farmington has a strong team and challenged us for sure. We struggled in the beginning putting pressure on Farmington with our serve, but ultimately got there,” White said. “Hannah White had a crucial run for us from the service line that got us back to where we needed to be in the second set. Adelaide (Stevenson) and Taylor (Harvey) also came in at important moments getting us the runs we needed to put us ahead.”

Viewmont

To begin the season, Viewmont lost to Layton 25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 25-22 Aug. 20.

“Our team worked out some first match jitters and made some adjustments against a strong Layton team,” said head coach Karl Lippa. “All 12 varsity players were able to see the floor in at least one set, and I was pleased to see the growth and skills the players had been practicing pay off in some great rallies.”

Against Olympus Aug. 22, the Vikings won 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22.

“We played well together,” Lippa said. “The entire roster was able to contribute to the match with every player playing. We had a mid-match injury required an unannounced sub, and I am pleased with how the girls worked together to pull out the victory. I saw great room for improvement that we will work to grow towards.”

Woods Cross

Woods Cross, ranked third in 5A, lost to Orem – who is 4A’s top team – in a tight-five set match 26-28, 19-25, 28-26, 25-21, 17-15 Aug. 22.

“Orem was really tough and aggressive, and their defense made it difficult to put a ball away while their hitters stayed aggressive the entire match,” said head coach Josey Hilton. “We started really well with our defense doing a great job keeping the ball in play, our serve receive was good and we were able to get some really great kills as well.”

After winning the first two sets, the Wildcats surrendered a couple of big leads in losing the extended set. “Unfortunately, we were never able to swing the momentum back in our favor,” Hilton said. “It was a good lesson for us and we now know what we need to work on. The season is fast, but long and there will be lots of opportunities for us to improve.”

Avery Poulton had a monster game with 26 kills and 24 digs. “Avery not only brings the talent, she also brings the energy. It was great to watch her step into a leadership role on the team and rally them, encouraging them to keep focused on the job at hand.”

The JV squad also lost to the Tigers in five sets 22-25, 23-25, 15-5, 15-9, 15-10 with Ava Bischke earning the team’s player of the match. Every time she was on the court she brought the energy,” Hilton said. “She played amazing and had the best attitude all night, cheering on her teammates and the successes. She was a huge asset for us!” 

In the sophomore match against Orem, Woods Cross lost in three sets 25-18, 25-13, 15-11. Hilton noted the diligence and positivity of Brianna Westergard. “She never turned down the opportunity of a new challenge,” Hilton said. “She brought so much energy on and off the court and played her hardest through every single point.”

Davis

In its first match of the season, Davis lost to Maple Mountain, the defending 5A state champion, Aug. 20 in three sets 25-10, 25-10, 25-12.

Senior Leah Tuft had five kills to lead the Darts.

At the Tooele Tournament Aug. 23-24, Davis went 3-2 with straight set wins over Tooele, Cyprus and Salt Lake Academy while losing to Westlake and Draper APA.

The Darts are 3-3 so far this fall.

Farmington

In Farmington’s four-set loss to Bountiful, senior Becca Wangsgard led the Phoenix squad with nine kills while senior Ellyse Taylor served up three aces. Junior Kylee Day and senior Callie Curtis teamed up for 18 assists in running the offense. Defensively, senior Clara John was big at the net with five blocks with Day and junior Leah Johnson both recording 10 digs on the back line.

 “It was a great match up with great rallies between the two teams,” said head coach Kate Hawkes. “It was neck and neck until 16s then Bountiful served tough and pulled the lead in the first two sets. In the third set, we were able to side out and pull out the win. The next set was tight with great offense and defense from both sides.”

Farmington is now 1-1 this season.