Provo spikers win marathon match with Lehi

LEHI — The Lehi gym was rocking with playoff intensity from beginning to end as the Pioneers and Bulldogs fought a five-game war to the bitter end Tuesday night.

Provo finally outlasted Lehi in the 26-24, 16-25, 20-25, 25-21, 16-14 marathon volleyball match that pitted the state's No. 1 and No. 4 ranked teams in 4A against each other in a region battle. No. 1 Provo fought back from the two games to one deficit to remain undefeated (7-0) in league play, but the No. 4 Pioneers played an exceptional game in an effort to seek vengeance on the team that beat them in four games earlier this year in region play.

Defense was king on the court as both teams got everything back and made nothing easy on the team across the court. No kill was safe from a block or a dig, which included a sweet pancake by Marci Gray early in Game 4 that led to a Lehi point.

"It is a little frustrating for the hitters that they were getting everything back," said Andrea Vanburen, Provo's assistant coach. "We had to do some changing up and start tipping them. We finally started being smart."

Provo head coach Wendy Bills was frustrated herself at her team's lack of performance in games two and three that led to two easy victories by the Pioneers and left the Bulldogs in a hole. Just because her team remained undefeated didn't mean much to the coach, who said, "That just means that we need to work extra hard. This was a good wake up call."

The Pioneers came into the match fresh off a revenge victory over Orem and were planning to do the same to Provo, but they fell just a little short, though Lehi fans still had to be proud of the young team's extraordinary effort.

Lehi offensive power Christina Measom was able to pound out 18 kills in the loss, followed closely by middle blocker and lone senior Liz Walker, who had 14. Megan Zimmerman even knocked down eight, but nothing was going down easy.

For every kill these teams would have had on a normal night, they had to kill it about three times to record the point in this match. Everything was coming back as the movement, digging, passing and blocking was supreme and possibly the best of the season. Even though some of the state's top hitters took the court, the match featured some of the longest rallies in high school action this year.

Provo hitter Lori Wilson racked up an impressive line of 16 kills, five blocks and 23 digs, while Nalani Lobendahn added 14 kills, and five blocks of her own. In addition to the tough defense, both teams served well.

"We served really well tonight, and that kept us in the game. That was a scary one," said Vanburen. "Lehi played an awesome game. That's a hard one to have somebody have to lose."

In other volleyball matches:

REGION 1