Soaring Eagle now ready for 3A

Moving from 2A to 3A was a little more difficult than the Soaring Eagle volleyball team anticipated last season.

"I think all of us were a little taken aback with the difference," said head coach Susan Kriesmann. "It was a huge step up."

This year the team feels more prepared for the competition because of last year's experiences and the fact that they return several key starters. They'll be led by Theah Smith, a senior middle blocker, Erika Green, a junior setter, and Sarah Iorg, a senior middle blocker. Smith and Green are playing their fourth season on varsity and are being recruited to play college volleyball.

In addition to those returning starters, the team has a strong supporting cast starting with Brooke Cramblitt, a junior outside hitter, Becca Meehan, a junior right side, Becca Bradley, a junior middle blocker, Michelle Rueckert, a junior libero, Erin Brumbagh, a senior libero, Janae Giles, a sophomore outside hitter and Alyssa Rall, a sophomore libero.

"We're mostly juniors this year and the team is a totally different makeup," she said. "They're very focused and they've been very willing to work hard."

The Soaring Eagle was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in a very tough Region 8.

"We have a really tough region, but we're excited for this year," said Kriesmann. "Our seniors have been playing together for four years."

The difference in classifications has been huge, she said.

"Our longest match in 2A was 40 minutes," she said. "We just were never prepared for the competition of state in 2A."

Playing in Region 8 will prepare anyone for competition.

While the Dinos lost a significant number of last year's team, they also have very athletic young players this season, and coaches voted them the top team in preseason polls. The Dinos defeated 5A's Timpanogos for the Tournament of Champions Copper Championship. They have just two seniors on the squad led by a sophomore setter, Julia Potts.

The seniors are Lauren Barnett, an outside hitter, and Larissa Ivory, a setter and libero. Junior middle hitter Megan Garvin has helped the Dinos with strong net play, but the whole Carbon squad is very good defensively.

The Hawks also did well at the Tournament of Champions with a lot of new faces in the lineup. They are led by senior Janelle Kendell, a returning starter who was named second team all-state last season. Chelsea Bird and Julia Taylor are the other two seniors on the team. The program is always one of the best defensive teams, and this year is no different.

Delta and American Leadership could be the wild cards of the region race, which is always one of the most fun.

Region 8 volleyball rankings

1. Carbon

2. North Sanpete

3. Emery

4. Juan Diego

5. Delta

6. American Leadership Academy

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com