Bountiful

The Bountiful High volleyball team entered the 5A state tournament as the top seed, having gone undefeated through 14 Region 5 matches, and swept through three opponents to reach the title game. On Nov. 8, the Redhawks lost to No. 2 Skyline 25-15, 25-20, 25-18, ending Bountiful’s 27-5 season.

“I could not be prouder of my girls,” said BHS head coach Kelsie White. “It was a full team effort this whole season and it shined through at the tournament. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I wouldn’t have wanted to fight until the end with any other group.”

After a bye in the first round, the Redhawks defeated Wasatch 25-6, 25-19, 25-15 Nov. 7 in the second round at Utah Valley University and then later in the day beat Timpview 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Nov. 8, Bountiful swept No. 5 Northridge 25-16, 27-25, 25-17 to matchup in the finals against Skyline.

Senior Taylor Harvey and junior Milika Satuala were the team’s heavy hitters this year  while junior Adelaide Stevenson led the team in aces with 61 and ran the offense with over 900 assists. Defensively, Satuala and Harvey teamed up for 454 digs on the year with senior Mae Johnson recording 38 blocks at the net.

“These girls are something special and know how to work hard for each other until the very end,” White said. “I am lucky to coach them!”

Woods Cross

Woods Cross was ranked third in the 5A ranks much of the season and when the state tournament wrapped up Nov. 8 at UVU, that’s where the Wildcats finished after a 25-15, 25-15 sweep of Northridge in the third/fourth place match. Junior Avery Poulton put away 12 kills to lead the offense while she and sophomore Zamari Christensen both had eight digs on the back line. Christensen also recorded 22 assists in their final match of the year.

At the state tournament – and after a first-round bye – Woods Cross defeated No. 14 Alta 25-15, 25-17, 25-22 Nov. 7 behind 17 kills from Poulton and 35 assists from Christensen. Junior Adia Cook and Poulton teamed up for 17 digs on the defensive side.

In the quarterfinals later that day, the Wildcats swept #6 Maple Mountain 25-11, 25-22, 25-18 with 18 kills from Poulton and four aces from sophomore Alisi Tapa’atoutai. Christensen’s 33 assists and Cook’s 14 digs were also key in the win.

In the semifinals, Woods Cross lost to eventual champion Skyline 10-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-22. Poulton had a monster match with 26 kills and 18 digs with Tapa’atoutai also adding 11 kills, four aces and three blocks. Christensen also recorded a double-double of 44 assists and 13 digs with Cook having 12 digs as well for the defense.

On the season, Poulton led the team on both sides with nearly 500 kills and 350 digs. Christensen recorded 931 assists in running the offense for the 27-5 squad with the sophomore setter, Poulton and Tapa’atoutai combining for 160 of the team’s 272 aces. Tapa’atoutai also led the team in blocks with 39.

Viewmont 

No. 17 Viewmont lost to 16th-seeded Wasatch 25-16, 25-19, 31-29 in the first round of the 5A state tournament Nov. 5.

Wasatch came out of the gate with a fire in their feet for some great defense,” said VHS head coach Karl Lippa. “We were not able to generate many offensive opportunities with pressure from their serve and defense. They took the lead early in set one and we could not recover. In the second set we made some adjustments and started playing better. I felt our serving was strong to start off the second set, and we had a lead around the midway point in the set but then they came on strong with some serves and attack, and we couldn't recover as quickly as we would have wanted. The third set we rotated our line up a few rotations back, and we had some great momentum. We had about five set points at the end of the set but Wasatch worked to stay in the match. I was proud of the team for fighting off a few match points, and we had some opportunities that our younger players can learn from in future seasons in always trying to play to win.”

Sophomore Klancee Larsen led the Vikings this season with 189 kills with junior Miya Edgington running the offense with 358 assists. Edgington and senior Pearl Johnson both recorded 30 aces to lead from the serving line. On the defensive side, junior Addi Pinnock had 170 digs and sophomore Summer Dirkmaat had 37 blocks.

“At the end of the season, I am pleased with the growth the team made through many aspects of adversity, injuries, and unique situations that appeared throughout various parts of the season,” Lippa said. “One of our best skills this year was our serving, and it was a breath of fresh air to have all servers go back to the line with a confidence that stretched through the entire team. This was one of the best serving percentage teams I have ever coached. I enjoyed watching the growth of so many of the players throughout the season.”

Lippa will be stepping down as the girls coach following this 9-16 season. “I believe in Viewmont volleyball, and I have always believe in Viewmont,” he said. “The program deserves someone who can devote the full energy and time to making it what it can be again. I am excited to support the girls program as a volunteer and an avid fan. Viewmont is a great school to be, and I am excited to see the future success for whomever takes over the role.” λ