OREM — Three weeks ago, the Hurricane Tigers were broken-hearted and unsure what, if any, promise the 3A volleyball playoffs would hold for them.

One of their best hitters quit the team at the season's most critical time. In the ensuing days, the teenage athletes not only learned, they demonstrated with grace, the power of hard work, team loyalty and forgiveness.

Their effort to come back from midseason problems that threatened the third-ranked squad's ability to attain the school's first-ever volleyball title paid off Friday night when Hurricane defeated second-ranked Carbon, 25-23, 25-22, 25-11, at UVU's McKay Event Center.

"I would never have imagined we could beat so many good teams," said junior outside hitter Kara Cotter, who finished with 13 kills. "This team is amazing."

What's amazing isn't just that Hurricane swept Carbon, a team that had been dominating opponents in the 3A tournament. It's that a group of girls were able to set aside the pain and betrayal they felt when one of the team's most promising players, sophomore middle hitter Kalistina Takau, quit the team.

Heartbroken is how coach Daniel McKeehan described both coaches and players in the wake of her decision. The team, he said, came together and tried to move on without her. About a week before the tournament, his players came to him and said they'd been talking with Takau and they wanted to forgive her. They wanted her back on the team.

"When coach came to my house, he just said, 'You might not play,"' Takau said. "I didn't care as long as I could come and be with my teammates."

Takau said she's learned a lot of "life's lessons" in the last few weeks, especially about the power of friendship and forgiveness.

Sophomore Angela Shields took over for Takau when she quit, and she gave up her court time so Takau could come back.

"It was very difficult when she quit, hard on all of us, including her," Shields said. "But people make mistakes. ... It was hard to give up the playing time, but I would do anything to help my team win a state championship."

McKeehan's pride in his team's ability to think about each other before themselves was obvious as he made sure they all got in photographs after the trophy was awarded.

"It's always about the kids," he said. "We let the team make the decision, and I'm very proud of them."

Kara Cotter said she was not only proud of her teammates for forgiving Takau, she was proud of Takau for having such a great attitude.

"She played so hard to earn her spot back," said Cotter. "There is a level of pride involved. But it's not that hard if you can set your pride aside and make the right decision."

The Tigers were led by senior setter Megan Clyde, whom McKeehan called, "The best setter in 3A and one of the best in the state." Faye Vaovasa added eight kills, but it was the team's defense that really helped them defeat the Dinos, including the play of senior libero Jordan Ha.

Carbon coach Cristen Johnson said her team had struggled in the tournament, despite the scores.

"We've had a little problem with inconsistency this year, and it just came back to bite us," she said. "We didn't play our best, but you can't take anything away from Hurricane. They really wanted it and played great. It's just disappointing to end our season that way."

The Dinos were led by setter Julia Potts and Britni Greenwood, who finished with 13 kills, and Joy Malone, who added eight kills.

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com