High school volleyball: 1A state tournament Day 1 recap, top 4 seeds, Panguitch, Tabiona, Rich, Wendover advance to semifinals
1A quarterfinals
Panguitch 3, Manila 0
Top seed Panguitch used its size advantage in the middle to jump out fast as it rolled past No. 9 seed Manila for the win in the 1A quarterfinals at UVU on Friday, 25-13, 25-14, 25-21.
Senior Tabi Henrie had another big game hitting for the Bobcats with 14 kills, with Oaklee Woolsey chipping in with nine. Kaetlynn Poulsen had an efficient game hitting as she recorded four kills on five swings.
“We’re lucky enough to have good size and we block about as well as anybody in the state, and I think that got us going right off the bat. We’ve played the Emerys, the Parowans and the Kanabs, and we were able to play with them because of the blocking,” said Panguitch coach Troy Norris.
With the win, Panguitch advances to Saturday’s semifinals at 11 a.m. where it will face No. 4 seed Wendover.
“I think if we just play our game and do what we can do, the rest will take care of itself. I know there’s still good teams out there, and we’ve seen them all. But honestly, if we just play like we can, I feel good about our chances,” said Norris.
Wendover 3, Monument Valley 0
Wendover made history on Friday afternoon at the 1A state tournament. The school had never advanced to the state semifinals, but that changed at UVU as the fourth-seeded Wildcats beat No. 5 seed Monument Valley in convincing fashion, 25-15, 25-13, 25-16.
“It’s history, regardless of what happens. I told them right now, if we win or we lose we’re going to get top four and nobody at Wendover has ever done that,” said Wendover coach Lidia Delgadillo.
Leading the way for the Wildcats as outside hitter Gabriella Delgadillo, who had great success swinging against Monument Valley’s block and defense.
“We stopped playing it safe, because once we stopped tipping it, and pushing it and free-balling it over, once we stopped doing that, we were able to pick them up and that gave us the confidence to keep swinging,” said coach Delgadillo.
Tabiona 3, Piute 0
No. 2 seed Tabiona held off a spirited effort from No. 7 seed Piute as it swept the T-Birds for the 1A quarterfinal win at UVU, 25-17, 28-26, 25-21. It will play No. 3 seed and region rival Rich the semifinals on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Tabiona showed great resiliency in the second set.
“We’re only going to see better and better teams every game, so you have to learn how to rally with teams and when it gets tight like that, just not make errors and keep playing,” said Tabiona coach Kaylie Defa.
Senior Sicily Fabrizio led the Tigers with 11 kills and four blocks, with Addianna Allred adding 10 kills. Tabiona’s hitting has been consistent all year, but the team’s blocking has been a huge asset in the second half of the season.
“Our blocking has really improved the last half of the season. Just working on it a lot in practice and being more intentional about actually blocking instead of just jumping on the front row because it’s our job actually tracking balls and putting the ball down,” said Defa.
Shyanne Jensen and Peyton Pippy each recorded three aces in the win.
Rich 3, Monticello 1
Violett Taylor recorded 19 kills, while Kasey Wilson recorded 42 assists as No. 3 seed Rich outlasted No. 6 seed Monticello in a tight 1A quarterfinal game at UVU, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23.
Rich trailed by as many as five points midway through the third set, but coach Danelle Wadsen said the resiliency her team showed to rally and win that set was the best she’s seen from her team all year. She credited Hannah Scott with sparking that comeback.
“She came back in and stepped it back up and helped us out a lot out there,” said Wadsen.
Scott also finished with three aces for the Rebels.
Rich will now advance to the 1A semifinals on Saturday to face No. 2 seed Tabiona, a team it beat twice during region play.
“Tabiona will always be tough. We’re just excited to play them,” said Wadsen.
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1A second round
Panguitch 3, Bryce Valley 0
Tabitha Henrie, fresh off her 1A cross-country state championship earlier in the week, recorded nine kills in the second round of the 1A state tournament at UVU on Friday to lead the Bobcats to the easy 25-6, 25-11, 25-11 win over region foe Bryce Valley. Oaklee Woolsey chipped in with seven kills for Panguitch, with Madi Frandsen adding six.
Manila 3, Valley 1
No. 9 Manila narrowly edged No. 8 Valley in a tightly-contested 1A second round match at UVU, 25-20, 25-20, 27-25, 21. The Mustangs got great hitting from Sadie Davis and Kamryn Slaugh throughout the match, in addition to great play in the middle from Sienna Gonder, who had big hits late in the match to help secure the win. Fellow middle Kallie Bair also had a strong performance as Manila advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 Panguitch.
Wendover 3, Green River 0
Senior setter Kadence Murphy had a strong day setting, with outside hitter Gabriela Delgadillo and middle blocker Millie Hicks taking advantage with strong games as No. 4 seed Wendover made quick work of No. 13 seed Green River in the 1A second round, 25-6, 25-17, 25-13. Wendover advanced to face Monument Valley in the 1A quarterfinals.
Monument Valley 3, Tintic 0
No. 5 seed Monument Valley took care of business against No. 12 Tintic in the second round of the 1A state tournament with a convincing 25-14, 25-22, 25-21 at UVU on Friday. Junior setter Kaylisa Tome had a strong game setting putting the ball in good spots for her hitters, with Keilana Smith and Shimequa Hudson taking advantage with efficient games hitting to lead their team into the quarterfinals.
Tabiona 3, Altamont 0
Senior middle blocker Sicily Fabrizio recorded 11 kills, while setter Shyanne Jensen controlled the offense with 26 assists as No. 2 seed Tabiona swept No. 15 Altamont 25-17, 25-13, 25-13 for the 1A second round win at at UVU. Addianna Allred and Maycee Rhoades each chipped in with eight kills.
Piute 3, Escalante 1
Aided by an impressive comeback in the first set from 23-18 down, and then a strong closing fourth set, No. 7 seed Piute marched into the 1A quarterfinals with a win over No. 10 Escalante. T-Bird libero Amy Morgan had a strong game defensively in sparking the victory, while setter Hadley Morgan did well to control the offense. Piute middle blocker Janey James had a great game serving as well.
Rich 3, Milford 1
No. 3 seed Rich had to fight a bit harder than expected during the second round of the 1A state tournament on Friday at UVU, but it eventually did to pull out the win over No. 14 Milford, 25-13, 25-17, 23-25, 25-10 to advance to the quarterfinals against Monticello. Violett Taylor led the attack with 17 kills, with Hannah Scott chipping in with 14 kills. Aeva Ellsworth and Paige Smith led the defense as they combined for 34 digs.
Monticello 3, Wayne 0
No. 6 seed Monticello won the big points in needed in the 1A second round against No. 11 Wayne at UVU on Friday as the Buckaroos prevailed 25-17, 25-16, 25-22 to advance to the quarterfinals to face Rich. Alise Lewis was on fire hitting the ball out of the middle according to coach Sheila Wells, with outside hitter Taylor Barry also having a strong day hitting. Junior setter Hannah Barry created a great tempo for Monticello hitters with another strong performance.
