After 2nd-round comeback win, Weber volleyball’s state tourney run ends in quarterfinals
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- Weber High’s Havi Montaño hits the ball during the 6A volleyball state tournament at Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
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- Weber High’s Alie Sparrow (center) jumps up to tip the ball during the 6A volleyball state tournament at Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
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- Davis High’s Loryn Helgesen jumps to block a shot during the 6A volleyball state tournament at Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
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- Farmington High’s Sarah Rathbun (left) and Kaylee Monroe (right) jump to block a shot during the 6A volleyball state tournament at Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
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- Fremont High’s Maya Jensen (32) tips the ball during the 6A volleyball state tournament at Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
OREM — For the many who had been in the UCCU Center all day Thursday, first serve for the Weber High-Bingham 6A volleyball state quarterfinal mercifully came at exactly 10 p.m., precisely two hours behind schedule thanks to a day’s worth of 5A and 6A tournament matches that backed things up.
Weber won the first three points of the first set of the quarterfinal. Bingham won 25 of the next 39.
The No. 6 Warriors competed better in the next two sets, but ultimately will have to settle for a run in the consolation bracket after a 25-17, 25-22, 25-22 sweep at the hands of the No. 3 Miners.
“I think we competed, we’d just get really stuck in serve receive and it came down to like, we just let them go on too many runs, we’re trying to come back,” Weber High head coach Renae Birch said. “And the second set we just kind of let go at the end, which is sad, but Bingham’s a really good team.”
The second set was slightly better. Trailing 11-5, Weber went on a 12-3 run to take a 17-14 lead with good serving by Eden Jensen, Bingham errors and various well-timed hits from Cami Cvitkovich, Alie Sparrow and Katelynn Field playing a big part.
The Warriors led 21-18 at one point, then Bingham won seven of the next eight points to close the set.
They got behind 17-10 in the third before getting within a point of the Miners three different times at the end. Field got rolling with a couple of blocks and Sophie Sparrow’s tip got Weber within 23-22.
The Warriors had done well in the postseason the last two years, finishing in fifth place last season as a No. 12 seed and in sixth place in 2021 as a No. 17 seed.
This year was the first time in that span they entered the tournament with high expectations on paper.
Weber went 24-4 in the regular season with an outright Region 1 title and at one point, a 19-match win streak.
It got the No. 6 seed in the tournament and outlasted No. 11 Copper Hills in a thrilling five-set comeback earlier Thursday in the second round.
“I think it just got our jitters out early, Copper Hills played very well, and they did a defense we’re not used to,” Birch said.
Bingham was an entirely different level. Outside hitter Levani Key-Powell, who had 441 kills to her name coming in, added another dozen to her tally with big hit after big hit on the left side.
Weber started to block her regularly, then the Miners leaned on Solia Angilau in the middle, Hazel Marchant on the right side and also rarely looked out of sorts on defense, while the Warriors found themselves scrambling to get the ball over the net many times.
6A TOURNAMENT RESULTS
QUARTERFINAL
No. 3 Bingham def. No. 6 Weber, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-22)
2ND ROUND
No. 6 Weber def. No. 11 Copper Hills, 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-11)
No. 1 Skyridge def. No. 16 Layton, 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-9)
No. 8 Mountain Ridge def. No. 9 Farmington, 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 19-25, 25-23, 15-4)
No. 4 Pleasant Grove def. No. 13 Fremont, 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-10, 25-20)
No. 7 Herriman def. No. 10 Syracuse, 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-20)
No. 3 Bingham def. No. 14 Davis, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-16)
CONSOLATION ROUNDS
No. 12 Westlake def. No. 13 Fremont, 3-2 (25-27, 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-13)
No. 9 Farmington def. No. 16 Layton, 3-2 (18-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 18-16)
No. 10 Syracuse def. No. 15 American Fork, 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-13)
No. 14 Davis def. No. 11 Copper Hills, 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19)
FRIDAY SCHEDULE
10 a.m. — No. 10 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Davis, No. 9 Farmington vs. No. 12 Westlake (sixth-place bracket)
11:30 a.m. — No. 6 Weber vs. No. 7 Herriman (fifth-place bracket)
Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.