Provo volleyball goes on road to beat Pioneers

LEHI — In a battle between Region 7 favorites and two Top 5 teams in the state, the Provo Bulldogs invaded the Lehi gym and sneaked out with the four-game 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 27-25 victory.

As was predicted the teams played at high levels throughout the entire match as at times both appeared on track for the victory.

Game 1 showcased a 7-1 run by the Pioneers to tie things up at 14 before the Bulldogs came back with a 7-1 run of their own to put things out of reach in taking the 1-0 lead.

"We knew it was gonna be a tough match. We knew they have big guns," said Provo coach Wendy Bills, adding, "We served well, and our passes were where they needed to be."

Adding to the intensity of the match were the teams' setters: Provo's Naomi Paige Flinders and Lehi's Katrina Warburton are cousins.

Flinders led the winning Bulldogs with 36 assists and added six kills and three blocks to go along with the solid setting effort.

"The team helped each other out and played together. We knew it was gonna be a fight, but we got ready and came out fighting," said Flinders.

Flinders was busy setting the two powerful arms of Lori Wilson, who finished with 18 kills and six blocks, and Nalani Lobendahn, who finished with 14 kills and two blocks.

The Bulldogs took a seemingly insurmountable lead at 23-18 in Game 2, but the Pioneers came back with seven straight points to steal the win and tie up the match at a game a piece.

After losing Game 2 in such a difficult way, Provo came back out in Game 3 with even more fight, and the intensity was palpable for both squads.

Amazing long rallies ruled the game as momentum once again shifted to the Bulldogs.

"I just kept shouting, 'Fight, fight, we need to win this thing,"' said Wilson about the long rallies, adding that they are major momentum builders if you manage to squeak out a victory in one.

Provo won just enough of them to steal Game 3 and take the two games to one lead.

But Game 4 was the tightest of the entire match as the teams battled through eight ties.