Regular season ends with top teams earning sweeps

Pine View's Amelia Goebel (19), Pine View vs. Cedar, Volleyball, St. George, UT, Oct. 20, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The big question Friday night was how many teams would rest their starters in preparation for the state tournament. It turns out that they all did.

“We approached this game like every game,” Desert Hills head coach Sharon Christensen said about the Thunder’s matchup with Hurricane. “We had not clinched the region title outright. Dixie still had a chance to tie us for the region championship.”

With Snow Canyon completing their season on Tuesday, the other three playoff teams swept their opponents in preparation for the state tournament. Below are match summaries of Friday night’s action:

Pine View 3, Cedar 0

The Lady Panthers celebrated Senior Night and kept their seniors on the floor for the entire match.

“It was not planned that way, necessarily,” Pine View head coach Kelly Murdock said. “We started them because they were seniors and they stayed on the floor because they brought it tonight.”

The Panthers rode their seniors to a season-ending sweep of Cedar 25-22, 25-18, 25-13.

Pine View’s Amelia Goebel (19), Pine View vs. Cedar, Volleyball, St. George, UT, Oct. 20, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The Lady Reds, like they have all season long, showed just enough athleticism and skill to pose a danger to the home team. But in each set, Pine View would inevitably go on a run to pull ahead. Unlike their prior match, when Cedar forced the Panthers to go five for the win, Pine View was able to maintain and close the match this time.

“We are playing much better right now,” said Murdock. “Cedar was a good tuneup for the state tournament. We had great defense and passing tonight.”

Individually for the Panthers, Addyson Mikkelson and Saraven Allen had nine kills apiece. Allen also led the team with three service aces. Amelia Goebel led the team with two blocks. Recording double-digit digs were Mikkelson (16), Makana Santiago (11), Teuila Leung Choi (10) and Celeste Fiame (10). Fiame also dished 31 assists.

“I think we have a deep run in us at state,” Mikkelson said.

Pine View vs. Cedar, Volleyball, St. George, UT, Oct. 20, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

For Cedar, Dream Weaver led the way with seven digs and seven kills. Shaun Bauman had 19 receptions and five digs.

“We got great production from our seniors tonight,” said Cedar head coach Nicole Anglin. “Dream Weaver was all over the court and led our young team in a way that truly represents her. Bauman left her voice on the court tonight. She has been working on being a vocal leader as well as producing and she achieved that tonight. Bailee Fielding played hard and aggressive. She has kept a presence at the net the entire season. That presence will be missed.”

“We played great tonight,” said Allen. “I am excited that we are playing better and better as state tournament approaches. Region 9 has four good teams that will be there. I would not be surprised if we meet one or two of them at the state tournament.”

The Lady Panthers improve to 6-6 in region and 20-11 overall. Pine View will carry its late-season momentum into the state tournament this coming Wednesday. Their first-round opponent will be Park City, the No. 1 seed out of Region 11. Cedar finishes its season 3-9 in region play and 9-13 overall.

Desert Hills 3, Hurricane 0

Desert Hills made quick work of the Lady Tigers, getting the win in straight sets 25-17, 25-13, 25-12. The win in the final match of the season ensured the Thunder the outright Region 9 title.

For the Thunder, Madi Clark had 15 kills and 11 digs. Allie Beck led the team with three service aces and also contributed nine kills and nine digs. Andi Sonju and Saselah Goulding led the team with 17 and 16 assists, respectively. Kami Bliss and Kylee Christensen led the team with six and four blocks, respectively. Halle Sonju led the team with 14 digs.

Hurricane said goodbye to four seniors.

“Emily Swyers played varsity as a freshman,” Hurricane head coach Content Marshall said. “She was injured and out several weeks. We were lucky to get her back for the last two games. She has been a spark for us. Jeanette Cram is the hardest worker on the team. She is also a four-year varsity player and her leadership will be missed. Jocelyn Lester played great this year with her passing and defense after missing her junior year due to injury. Ashlie Prince didn’t get much playing time, but stepped up for us when we had players go down with injury.”

For the Lady Tigers, Hailey Homer finished with eight assists, eight digs and three kills. Alexis Martin had five assists and five digs. McKena Carter had three service aces and four digs. Abbie Elison had seven digs. Emily Swyers led the team with nine digs. Jeanette Cram and London Gubler had three kills apiece.

The Thunder win the region title outright with an 11-1 record. Desert Hills finishes 17-10 overall and will meet Tooele this Wednesday in the first round of the state tournament. Tooele is the No. 4 seed from Region 11. Hurricane’s season ends with an overall record of 4-16.

Dixie 3, Canyon View 0

Dixie swept the Lady Falcons 25-15, 25-19, 25-14. The win gave the Flyers 10 wins in region play and 20 wins overall for the season.

Individually for the Lady Flyers, Lauren Beatty led the team with eight kills. Shawnee Jones had seven kills and six service aces. Brynn Eardley had seven kills. Brooklyn Wright led the team with nine digs.

Individually for Canyon View, Malia Vasi and Eowyn Colbert had five kills apiece. Vasi had eight assists. Brielle Fullmer led the team with 11 digs.

“Brooklyn distributed the ball well to our hitters,” Dixie head coach Stacy Leavitt said. “We also had a good serving game.”

The Lady Falcons made it to state last year, but did so in a weaker region (12). With the realignment, Canyon View was put back into the more competitive Region 9 once again this year.

“We fell short of our goal to return to state,” Canyon View head coach Monica Jensen said. “Our girls fought hard every night and they made progress both individually and as a team. Our seniors, Lorien Colbert and Brielle Fullmer, will be missed.”

Dixie improves to 10-2 in region play and 20-6 overall. The Lady Flyers will face Stansbury in the first round of the state tournament on Wednesday. Canyon View ended its season with a 4-8 record in region and a 10-13 record overall.

Snow Canyon did not play on Friday night. The Lady Warriors finished with the region’s No. 3 seed. They will face Juan Diego on Wednesday in the first round of the state tournament. The Soaring Eagle is the No. 2 seed out of Region 11.

Check out the 4A state volleyball brackets here.

FINAL REGION 9 VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS
1. Desert Hills 11-1 (17-10)
2. Dixie 10-2 (20-6)
3. Snow Canyon 8-4 (15-14)
4. Pine View 6-6 (20-11)
5. Canyon View 4-8 (10-13)
6. Cedar 3-9 (9-13)
7. Hurricane 0-12 (4-16)

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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