Scrappy Warriors surprise

TAYLORSVILLE — The Taylorsville Warriors exceeded most expectations when they finished second in Region 2.

Preseason polls had the team finishing middle of the pack at best, but someone forgot to tell the players they weren't supposed to break into the rankings this year.

Led by sophomore outside hitter Brita Noble and junior outside hitter Kim Gourley, the team started region play by upsetting Skyline, a team that was ranked fourth at the time. The team wasn't tall or overpowering, just consistent and scrappy. Softball standout Cyd Allen and senior Courtney Pemberton filled up the middle, while Emily McDonald led the defense at libero.

Sophomore Beth Brown and junior Sehe Vakalahi rounded out a solid cast of starters, with a number of other Warriors coming off the bench to help when needed.

The storybook season came to an end, however, when the Warriors went to the 5A state tournament as a second seed. They lost in the first round to Region 1's third seed, Davis, in four games. The team was disappointed by the loss and couldn't muster the mental strength necessary to bounce back against Layton in consolation play. They lost to the Lancers in an exciting, five-game match.

The Warriors have most of their talent and leadership returning, which should make it impossible to go unnoticed next season. In fact, they'll likely be preseason favorites with the loss of just four players — Michelle Hill, McDonald, Pemberton and Robin Smith — to graduation.

Taylorsville's only region losses were to the top-ranked Bengals.

BRIGHTON took the Region 2 title and then cruised to a 5A state title without losing a game. The Bengals didn't lose an in-state match this season, with Brighton's only losses coming at an out-of-state tournament to nationally ranked teams.

The squad was loaded with height, talent and athleticism. The squad graduates seven seniors and loses a junior to a transfer. Senior outside hitter Krista Kelley, libero Leigha Dangerfield, libero/defensive specialist Jen Dangerfield, defensive specialist Christina Pazzi, outside hitter Kelsey Price, opposite hitter Cassandra Ricketts and middle blocker Ericka Wardell all graduate this spring. Ricketts will play at American University, while Kelley heads to Santa Clara University.

Junior setter Missy White has transferred to Waterford, which is a private 3A school, for more challenging academic classes. She has already committed to play volleyball at St. Mary's, which is in the same conference as Santa Clara.