Lone Peak taking charge

If Lone Peak's Christie Carpenter feels any pressure to lead the Knights back to the 5A championship match, she hides it well.

"I don't act like a senior," said the outside hitter after the Knights defeated region rival Pleasant Grove 25-27, 25-19, 25-15, 25-13 in the second day of play at the Tournament of Champions. "In most ways, I'm still a sophomore. ... Maybe that's why I get along so well with the younger girls. I don't get down very much. I'm able to laugh even if I make the worst mistake."

Her ability to stay positive will be key for the Knights who graduated seven seniors from last year's second-place squad.

"We have a lot of fun," said head coach Deanna Meyer. "We're still moving things around, trying to figure out what works best, but that's one of the best things about Christy. She's so coachable, she just says, 'Whatever you need, coach.'"

Carpenter will help ease her teammates' anxiety one joke at a time, and it doesn't hurt that she is also one of the state's best hitters. In six matches, she played outside, opposite and middle hitter, depending on who the Knights faced.

"I'm most comfortable outside, but I love to block on the right side," she said. "Whereever they feel they need me most, I'm able to go."

Friday morning's match featured last year's 5A champion, Pleasant Grove, against the team they defeated, Lone Peak. But Carpenter was one of the few familiar faces on either side of the net. The Vikings even have a new coach in Mandi Nuttall, and although they lost most of last year's starters, like Lone Peak, they return loads of young talent.

In Friday's match, Carpenter finished with 11 kills, while Lacey Cramer added 12 kills and sophomore Aubrey Muaina had six kills. Junior setter Lacy Laycock earned 35 assists in the win.

"Our entire line-up is new except for Christie," said Meyer acknowledging she is lucky to have a new batch of players who will make the Knights a contender again. "It's nice to have that many good kids in our program. ... We're more scrappy this year, but we're still making adjustments. I'm excited about the possibilities."

Meyer said her young players get intimidated now and then by the size of some of their competitors, but she reminds them that they are athletic and can compete with the best 5A has to offer. This preseason tournament will help her team no matter how they finish.

"Win or lose we're going to be a better team," she said, "because we're playing all of these great teams."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com