5A high school volleyball championship: Knights notch second straight championship

OREM — Anna Burgess wanted to be an outside hitter, but said she moved to libero as a sophomore because that's what the team needed.

Senior Heather Hannemann played defensive specialist for two years, waiting for her turn to run the Lone Peak offense as a setter.

Though both girls found their place in the Lone Peak program in ways they didn't always envision, their patience and unselfishness was rewarded with the kind of joy they could only imagine. In their final high school match, it was Hannemann and Burgess who led the top-ranked Knights to their second consecutive 5A state title in a thrilling five-set victory over their region rivals, Pleasant Grove.

"I couldn't be more excited about what these girls did," said Lone Peak coach Deanna Meyer after the team's 25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-9 win Saturday night at UVU's McKay Event Center. "They were a team from beginning to end."

Burgess was key in the win, picking up 38 digs against an extremely powerful and versatile Viking offense.

"PG has some great hitters," said Burgess, a senior. "They really pushed me to be the best."

Not only did Burgess manage to get to balls that should have been kills, she picked it up in a way that Hannemann could then set up Lone Peak's hitters for a kill of their own.

"How many times can you get a kill off a dig?" asked Meyer. "Defense wins championships because it shows what kind of heart you have. We're not just digging balls, we're digging balls and passing well."

Burgess' efforts, she said, "creates all of those opportunities for Heather and those hitters."

Hannemann, who earned 51 assists, celebrated the win by getting on the cell phone to accept congratulations from her father, who is in Iraq working as an inspector.

"He left two weeks ago," she said. "It's hard because he's at every game. He's my number one fan."

And this senior setter has waited so long for this moment.

"It shows what kind of character Heather has that she'd do what's best for the team," Meyer said. "It was her year, her time."

The Knights had to defeat a balanced, talented and tenacious Viking squad to earn the gold trophy.

The Vikings' outside hitters, Brooke McAlister and Danica Mendivil, were unstoppable at times. McAlister, who will play for the University of Utah next season, earned 18 kills, while Mendivil added 19 kills. Kim Dahl had 10 kills, as did Jenn Hamson. Kemi McFarland earned 22 assists and three solo blocks, while Rae Mulitalo added 36 assists. Mendivil also picked up 27 digs, while libero Heidi Lloyd added 28 digs.

When the Knights were down two sets to one, Meyer told her players to focus on something more important than the score.