OREM -- In the end, the Warriors had no answer for the mighty Trojans.
It was the state 3-A championship matchup nearly everyone wanted to see. Reigning champions Morgan and Snow Canyon facing off in a battle of high school volleyball superpowers. The Trojans were the defending 3-A champs, while the Warriors had won six straight -- the last five 4-A titles and a 3-A crown before that.
But on Friday night in front of a huge crowd at Utah Valley University, the maroon and white were golden.
Bailey Farris had 26 kills, five solo blocks, four digs and four aces to lead the Trojans to a remarkable 3-0 throttling of the Region 9 champion Warriors, 25-21, 25-19, 25-13 and a second straight state title -- Morgan's 12th since Liz Wiscombe became the coach.
"It's a great dynasty that Snow Canyon's had," Wiscombe said. "They're a great program with a great coach. But my hat's off to these Morgan kids. At the first of the year they weren't even close. But they worked hard and came together as a team. I can't say enough. I'm speechless for a change."
When Cassidee Lish's match-winning kill ricocheted off of a Snow Canyon player and out of bounds, it touched off a wild celebration on Morgan's side of the net.
"I was just, 'Oh my gosh, I've got to get this kill,' Lish said. "And then we won. It was so awesome. We've worked so hard for it. The last few weeks we've really clicked. This is the most amazing feeling in the world."
Lish finished with seven kills and seven digs for the Trojans (26-4), while senior setter Ashlee Gallen added 36 set assists, eight digs and two aces.
"This is awesome," Gallen said. "It's a great feeling. We just knew we would win. We knew it would be a good fight, but we knew we could do it. Morgan is an amazing place to play volleyball. It has the best coaches. You'll never find anything better than they are. It's just been a joy to play here."
The UVU-bound Farris saved her best for last. Did she know it?
"For sure," she said. "Without a doubt. I wasn't nervous at all and I gave it my all. I was really confident. Throughout the years I've been pretty nervous, but tonight I was confident. And I don't think we've played together as a team as good as that before. I'm really proud of my team and my coach."
"Everything (Farris) touched was gold," Wiscombe said. "I've never seen her serve like that."
While Farris will receive the bulk of the accolades this year, the whole team contributed to the victory. Sophomore Mckenzie Schenk had five solo blocks, libero Jaesee Dye added 11 digs, Amanda Porter had six digs, Katie Peterson contributed three kills and Kristi Rhead had a remarkable diving defensive play that helped Morgan score the final point of Game 2. Rhead then served three straight aces in the middle of the third game that left Snow Canyon dazed.
"They served well and took (the Warriors) out of system a bunch," Wiscombe said. "And they just shook 'em. They just mentally got in their heads. It was an awesome sight to see."
Morgan reached the championship game after knocking out Delta in four games earlier Friday, 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-12. Farris recorded 24 kills, 13 service points, five aces, seven digs and four solo blocks, while Rhead had a terrific match with 10 digs, five solo blocks and 13 service points, including a pair of aces. Gallen finished with 32 set assists and Lish and Schenk had six kills apiece.
"This is just super exciting," Rhead said. "I just had so much fun winning."
And that is what Morgan volleyball is about.
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