ST. GEORGE — The race to capture the Region 10 volleyball crown is entering its final week, and local teams have a lot to play for as the championship is still up for grabs.
Around the region Thursday, first-place Desert Hills swept Snow Canyon 3-0, Cedar defeated Dixie 3-1 and at Pine View High School, second-place Crimson Cliffs kept pace with a 3-1 victory over the Panthers.
“I think we stayed together as a team,” Mustangs senior libero Madeline Wallentine told St. George News after the win. “We kept pushing forward and didn’t let our mistakes drag on us.”
The Mustangs came out firing on all cylinders and captured the first set 25-13.
Crimson Cliffs kept the pressure on in the second set as freshman Paige Felder had a kill and an ace en route to a 19-13 advantage.
Felder and fellow freshman Tehanie Waters are two of the young Mustangs that make up a solid core to build the team around.
“We’ve got two freshmen that are pretty studly,” Crimson Cliffs coach Gabrielle Hasenbeck said. “It’s funny that people say we’re the youngest team because we actually have a ton of juniors and seniors. Ultimately we’ve got a lineup of 15 players on the bench and we’re building, and that’s our focus.”
Senior Lydia Lindquist knocked home a kill and the Mustangs went on to win the second set 25-19.
But then Pine View rallied in the third set. The Panthers, at fourth-place in the region standings, jumped ahead to an 11-6 lead.
Halle Wilkinson served three winners before a side out and Pine View led 14-7. Wilkinson hit in a kill to make it 16-7, and Pine View went on to win the third set 25-17.
The Panthers got a team-high 13 kills from Wilkinson in the match while Morgan Bieker had eight kills. Alize Sargent had two blocks and Alexa Tueller led Pine View with 18 digs.
Before the fourth set, Hasenbeck and the Mustangs huddled and regrouped.
“We talked about the word integrity and what that means to us,” Hasenbeck said. “Being able to come out every game with what we’ve been practicing with in our gym and define who we are.”
Riann Gines took over for the Mustangs early in the fourth set, banging home three kills as Crimson Cliffs burst to a 6-1 lead.
Gines served an ace and McCall Cottam followed with an ace as well and the Mustangs later led 11-9. Pine View stayed in it and tied the score 13-13.
But Gines would again set the tone with a tip and a kill that put the Mustangs ahead for good at 20-16, and Crimson Cliffs secured the match with a 25-20 win.
Crimson Cliffs heads on the road for a weekend tournament, then has its huge region finale at Desert Hills Oct. 12.
“We’re going to use the tournament as a way to prepare,” Hasenbeck said. “We’re going to use it as a way to understand what we can do, how we can define ourselves, and then just practice consistency. That’s going to be our biggest thing.”
Region 10 volleyball standings (region, overall) as of Friday:
- Desert Hills, 9-1, 13-6
- Crimson Cliffs, 8-2, 10-8
- Cedar, 6-4, 14-11
- Pine View, 6-5, 12-7
- Snow Canyon, 4-7, 9-17
- Hurricane, 3-7, 9-11
- Dixie, 0-10, 0-23
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