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Morgan, background, regroups following a North Sanpete point during the 3A state girls volleyball finals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Morgan's Summer Bangerter brings the hammer during the 3A state girls volleyball finals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Morgan's Lauren Anderson serves during the 3A state girls volleyball finals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

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Morgan's Jerstyn Payne gets set during the 3A state girls volleyball finals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Morgan coach Liz Wiscombe smiles during the 3A state girls volleyball finals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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OREM — Of all the roads No. 3 Morgan High girls volleyball could’ve taken to the 3A state finals on Tuesday night, all of them seemed likely to end against top seed North Sanpete and its perfect girls volleyball season.

With a packed house — including most, if not all, their football team — the unbeaten Hawks delivered in three sets (25-13, 25-23, 25-17) on Tuesday at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center.

Morgan leads the state with 20 state titles since 1973 (17 of which came under tenured Utah volleyball coach Liz Wiscombe), but a 32-0 North Sanpete program, led by 18th-year coach Rickie Stewart, was the clear favorite in the program’s first championship since 2009.

Wiscombe and Stewart previously went head-to-head when Morgan won it all in 2017, and the latter now has her second title as a coach and the first with her daughter, Rylee Stewart, in tow for North Sanpete’s first title in 16 years.

“It makes it extra special — I have a lot of respect for Rickie,” Wiscombe said. “She’s got a great program and she’s a great coach.”

Morgan finishes its campaign 25-6 overall as the state runner-up following a busy Tuesday, which saw the Trojans complete a three-set comeback against No. 2 Canyon View in the semifinals. Last year’s tournament featured the same semifinal, one which ended Morgan’s nine-year run of title-match appearances (that included lifting the trophy in 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015).

Flavors of the semifinal comeback returned during Morgan’s second set in the finals, as the Trojans turned the page from a dropped opening set (25-13) to lead briefly 10-8, and force the first timeout of the match from the North Sanpete bench. But Aydree Jacobson cashed in a 5-0 serving run shortly after the break and the Hawks had reclaimed their mojo, 15-10.

No matter her side’s heart, Wiscombe said Morgan simply struggled to get to the net on Tuesday night. Blocking had been the talking point all postseason, and a particular concern following a 3-1 loss to Stewart and the Hawks during a regular-season tournament.

“We thought we could get them, but we just couldn’t get a block up on that,” Wiscombe said. “You’ve got to slow them down at least, and we just didn’t block as well as we — we’ve been working on it a ton but the block was hard and we just didn’t play sharp and crisp.”

Junior Sierra Nye kept the Trojans, down 24-22, alive from the server’s line late into the second set, but her third serve let the Hawks slip out ahead. Senior Annabelle Higbee strung together three consecutive scoring possessions to draw Morgan within three late in the third set, but North Sanpete leaned on Elsie Bailey’s serving late to secure the sweep.

It was an emotional walk for Morgan, wading through the cheers and celebration behind them, after three seniors — Josilyn Jaffa, Annabelle Higbee, and Kenna Buss — overturned an 0-4 start to the regular season for a 10-0 run in Region 12.

Champions or not, Wiscombe knows her latest senior class left an imprint.

“On senior night, I’ve never seen so many tears,” Wiscombe said. “These kids, the kids below them just love them and I know that sounds cliché, but all the times and all the years I’ve never seen that. They’re good people. That’s the bottom line — you’ve gotta be good to people.”

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.