Bouncing back from a four-set Syracuse loss was Bradey Schiffman and Weber High’s only option as Region 1 girls volleyball shrinks to its final seven games.

The Warriors captured a 3-1 home win over visiting Layton on Tuesday. Still, the Lancers, down 13 unanswered points to begin the second set, prevented the sweep in the third, only for Weber to come back harder, faster, and stronger in the fourth.

It’s been sort of the mantra for Weber this year, too. If the shovel isn’t burrowing far enough, simply dig a little deeper.

“We’re always trying to find different ways to work hard,” Schiffman, whose .291 hitting percentage and 214 kills rank top-5 across 6A, said following Tuesday’s win.

One week earlier, Syracuse, led by the senior Barkdull twins, handed Renae Birch and the Warriors (15-3, 3-1 Region 1) just their third loss of the season. Birch eclipsed 100 career wins earlier this month against Farmington and has posted winning seasons at Weber in four of the last five years.

Eager to prove its worth, Weber didn’t flinch after one lousy set, nearly saved thanks to a 6-0 rally by Macie Broadbent at the service line.

“Volleyball’s just a team sport,” Schiffman said. “There are so many things that happen that aren’t one person’s fault. It’s about staying positive and moving on to the next play.”

In a region race with Syracuse and Farmington, the Warriors must accept every result like scripture as a competitive region decides its fate through October.

Anything resembling last week’s result is unacceptable, Schiffman said.

“Syracuse — we split with them last year — so it’s giving us the motivation of ‘We can’t lose any more games,'” Schiffman said. “We need to beat Syracuse the next time we play them. I think we lost our focus a little bit, so (Tuesday) we really focused on pedal to the metal and just don’t let up.”

The result counted against the Lancers, dropping to 8-9 (1-2) on the regular season. But a third-set comeback, fueled by senior captains MaLeah Quinton and Kaymbree Henry, leaves first-year coach Kelly Olsen with the confidence that a competitive attitude exists, and that wins are near for her squad on the back half of the schedule.

“They said we’re not going to let this go,” Olsen said. “Now, we’re going to take that winning mentality and turn it into (wins). It’s hard; they have that winning mentality already and are digging into what it takes to win, but that team here today was great. Weber is solid, they rarely miss, and we’re just shifting our focus to doing what’s best.

“… When that happens, the wins will come.”

Tuesday’s start tested the Warriors, Birch said, and Weber’s sixth-year coach, with 100-plus wins of expertise, has incorporated similar mistake-eliminating tests into the team’s practice schedule, too.

“I think our big focus has been staying motivated throughout the entire match,” Birch said. “In practice, it’s been a lot of, ‘Hey, let’s stay at our level no matter where we’re at and no matter who we’re playing.’ We have to be at that level, and that’s where we want to be at the end of the year, and so trying to mimic that in practice, no matter what’s on the other side of the court, we have to play at a high level and in-system.”

The results have been positive. Schiffman, Weber’s outside hitter, finished the evening with a team-high 11 kills, along with 14 digs to accompany Broadbent’s team-best 18.

Only a junior, Schiffman is bought in on the mission and is playing a key role in prepping Weber’s endurance with postseason goals in mind.

“Bradey’s very driven,” Birch said. “She always wants to get better at something. Passing, hitting, and I think she’s just one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met and really wants to win. That’s always fun to have someone on that court that wants the ball and wants to win no matter what.”

Now resting as part of a weeklong break, the Warriors are preparing for a final four-week stretch beginning at Farmington on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Weber’s remaining schedule includes a home rematch with Syracuse on Oct. 6.

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, email at cbecker@standard.net and on Instagram @standardexaminersports.