Lehi tames tough Tigers with ease

LEHI — The Lehi Pioneers are hoping to blaze a trail to where no Lehi volleyball team has gone in the past eight years — the state tournament. And they're well on their way after getting sweet revenge over the Orem Tigers in three easy games 26-24, 25-16, 25-15 Thursday.

Two weeks ago the Pioneers lost a tough one in Tiger Country, dropping their first match of the season. But since that night they've been working on the vengeance factor, and it was well worth it after the victory left them alone in second place in Region 7 and with a pretty solid lock on a trip to UVSC for state.

"We definitely wanted to go out and get the win tonight. We need the momentum going into Provo next Tuesday," said Lehi coach Jamie Ingersoll.

The team is also seeking retribution for a four-game defeat at the hands of the league-leading Provo Bulldogs and a lock on a second place finish in region.

The Pioneers count heavily on Christina Measom to lead them through any rough waters, and she rarely disappoints. Measom spiked 16 kills in the three quick games to lead both teams, but she wasn't alone with her great effort.

"Chris is always going to have a good game, but tonight it was just a balanced effort," added Ingersoll, who was all smiles about her team's performance. "We didn't block very well in the first round against Orem, but we did a lot better with the block tonight, and we didn't miss many serves.

Serving is key in the high school game."

The team had a solid effort overall with Liz Walker, Marci Gray and Megan Zimmerman all putting the ball away with equal effort. Zimmerman also showed her defensive prowess with 13 digs in one of the best digging performances of the season. Kehau Ha'o added four blocks to the solid defensive effort, but as usual, Measom regularly made the other team pay.

The Pioneers changed their strategy against Orem after the loss earlier this year, and everything seemed to work just as Ingersoll planned.

"They have great middles, and we've been practicing middle defense. I also think our outsides were a little more effective," Ingersoll added.

The first game was a tossup throughout as the teams fought through nine ties and five lead changes before Lehi finally dropped the last two points on an Orem hitting error and a Measom kill.