OREM — Don’t stop believing.

That was the theme for the Bountiful High volleyball team in 2021, according to junior setter Evalyn Chism.

“We knew we have the tools and we have the athleticism to make it happen, but we just couldn’t stop believing,” Chism said. “We just had to grind it out. We decided to come together and play for each other. That was the biggest thing.”

The No. 1 seed Redhawks relied on that unity as they faced a powerful No. 2 Mountain View team in Saturday’s 5A state title game at the UCCU Center in Orem, particularly when the match was on the line in the second set.

“That second set, so fun,” Bountiful head coach Sarah Chism said. “It was one of those that could have gone either direction. To win that one made a huge, huge difference.”

Although it wasn’t easy, the Redhawks squeaked out the 29-27 win in that frame, then rode that momentum to finish a 3-0 sweep of the Bruins (25-13, 29-27, 25-18) and secure the state championship.

“It means so much to win the title,” Evalyn Chism said. “We talked about our goals at the beginning of every year, which were to win region and win state. After we won region, we only had one more goal left. Our school has had good teams in the past that have won state. It’s so big for our coach. Just being able to finish that off with her and for each other and knowing we can do it, it was amazing.”

The junior setter pointed to cohesion as the determining factor for Bountiful (27-3) as they battled through tough moments in the second set.

“The second set was all over the place,” Evalyn Chism said. “It started off a little rough but we just didn’t stop. We didn’t quit and we just kept going and playing for each other, doing it for our fans and for our school. We were representing Bountiful how we know we can represent.”

She felt fortunate to make the final kill, although her plan was to get the ball to one of the seniors.

“At first, I was like I want to set her, give her that last opportunity to be able to kill the ball and win state for us,” Evalyn Chism said. “But the pass just happened to be close to the net. So I just got up and sent it down, just knowing that hopefully it would be the point.”

Sarah Chism said the best part of the final day of the state tournament was seeing all of the pieces come together.

“I think the difference was that everyone came to play,” the Redhawks head coach said. “We’ve been waiting all season to see that team. We knew we have that team. Everyone brought it today and they were one unit playing together. It was awesome and so fun to watch.”

Evalyn Chism said she felt confident in how her team would play before its semifinal match against Woods Cross earlier Saturday morning, which Bountiful swept 25-14, 25-13, 25-8.

“I think I knew as soon as I stepped on the court that it was our day,” the Bountiful junior said. “We played really well against our rivals from Woods Cross, so we had all the momentum coming into this game. It was just amazing. I know as soon as I stepped on that my teammates and I would get it done. And that’s what we did.”

Sarah Chism was thrilled to see so many players playing at a high level throughout the day.

“I couldn’t be more happy for each and every girl,” Sarah Chism said. “Every single one shined at different moments. That’s what was so special about that match. You could also see the love that they had for each other. One girl gets a big block and the whole team is celebrating. Another girl gets a big swing and the whole team is celebrating. Another girl gets a big dig and the whole team was celebrating. It was our day. We felt it from the beginning.”

She said the best part was seeing the team savor the fruits of all their work.

“I was just so happy for them,” Sarah Chism said. “They wanted to win so badly. They felt like they had unfinished business from last year and they just were really focused on that all season. It’s just so satisfying to see them accomplish their goal.”

SYRACUSE FINISHES THIRD

No. 3 Syracuse enjoyed a fantastic season, reaching the 6A semifinals after sweeping Farmington and Riverton in the earlier rounds.

Syracuse matched up with No. 2 Lone Peak on Saturday morning with a spot in the title game on the line.

The Titans fell behind by two sets but made some key plays to win the third frame and give themselves a shot. Lone Peak, however, proved to be too much in the fourth set and got the 3-1 win (25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18).

Syracuse was disappointed with the loss but came back strong in the third-place match against No. 1 Copper Hills. That one proved to be a five-set classic as the Titans lost the first and third sets, but rallied to win sets No. 2 and No. 4, forcing a deciding fifth set.

Both teams left everything on the court and the contest was tied at 16-16 before Syracuse scored the final two points to get the 3-2 win (21-25, 25-20, 11-25, 25-23, 18-16).

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