1A girls high school volleyball: Favorites dominate

OREM — Monticello, St. Joseph and Rich sailed through the first day of the girls state 1A volleyball playoffs with few hiccups while the Layton Christian Eagles earned the upset Friday.

The Eagles defeated Panguitch, the No. 1 seed from region 20, in five sets (3-2) and punched their ticket to the semi-final match against No. 1 Rich.

"It feels amazing," sophomore Zakiya Harris said. "To come back from where we were last year and get to this point, it's a huge step."

The Eagles failed to make it to the playoffs in 2010 and have come a long way.

"The difference this year is that we have faith," senior Melina Bachtar said. "We believe we can make it."

The decisive contest had fans on the edge of their seats as momentum shifted regularly. Panguitch put up a valiant fight throughout the five sets.

"In the fifth set, it wasn't even about skill," Bachtar said. "It came down to which team wanted it more … who had more passion."

Bachtar's passion was apparent as she led the team with 28 kills, 15 digs and two solo blocks. Harris added eight kills and six block assists, while Anna Ruzkova contributed 40 assists.

As far as top-ranked Rich, the Rebels breezed through the first and quarterfinal round without dropping a set. They earned the victory over Green River with Courtney Lamborn at the helm.

Lamborn has been turning heads all year with her impressive play and Friday was no exception. She earned 17 points and served as a leader on the court..

Lamborn would not, however, earn her many scoring opportunities without the help of setter Cassidy McKee, who was on her game with 24 assists.

With 14 aces on the board it's no wonder Green River couldn't compete with the Rebels.

"It was the difference today," coach Cindy Stuart said. "Serving was the name of the game. We've been working on it all year and it was our first attack."

St. Joseph claimed a victory in similar fashion, defeating Tabiona in three comfortable sets. The Jayhawks fell in last year's semi-final contest to Panguitch and coach Ray Franklin hopes to see a different outcome.

"We're happy to be in the final four, but we're hoping to pick up some games tomorrow," Franklin said.

Britt Cederhome proved key to the team's success with 17 kills, three aces and three solo blocks. Teammate Jesse Bischoff added 11 kills.

The Jayhawks will take on Monticello in the semi-final round.

Monticello finished with a strong 23-3 season record and will prove to be tough competition for the highly esteemed St. Joseph squad.

They too made it through the day without dropping a single set, and defeated Wayne in the quarterfinals.

"We never quit," coach Tony Esplin said. "We had a few more perfect plays and outlasted them."

According to Esplin, Swayzi Slade continued her role as leader and Martha Beh controlled things outside with top-notch passing and hitting.

St. Joseph is set to meet Monticello, and Panguitch will take on Rich as the battle for the crown continues Saturday in the UCCU Center at 10:30.

email: jwilde@desnews.com