4A high school volleyball championship: Warriors turn back rival Flyers to grab another title

OREM — Repeat, threepeat, it doesn't matter what the division, Snow Canyon and Dixie seem to like competing against each other so much that they not only do it twice each year during the Region 9 season, they do it every year for the state title as well.

This is the third straight season the Flyers and Warriors have taken their region rivalry straight to the top and found themselves fighting head to head for a state championship.

This season it wasn't supposed to happen again. Snow Canyon was ranked third in the state while Dixie came into the tournament unranked, but no matter the rankings or what other people think, these two teams always seem to turn it on when it counts. And it was Snow Canyon that turned things on in the final match as usual, finishing in the top spot for the third year in a row with a 25-17, 25-17, 26-24 victory over their biggest rivals.

"Three years in a row we've faced the same team. We battle with them all season, and there is a lot of emotion going into this one," said Snow Canyon coach Alaina Parker, who noted that no matter how many times you win championships, every single one is special, especially if your own child is on the team.

Her daughter, Ciara Parker, is the freshman setter for the Warriors, and she played her heart out along with all of her teammates in the emotional victory over the Flyers.

"When your own kid is on the team and they step up and do a good job, it makes everything even more special," said Parker.

But she wasn't the only Warrior having a tough time controlling her emotions. Every player on the team broke down into tears, showing that titles are brand new every year and no matter how many times you win one, it never becomes routine.

"It feels great. We've been through a lot, and we've struggled through everything. We came out as hard as we could and left everything on the court," said Snow Canyon senior Taylar Barney, who was named the 4A tournament MVP through eyes full of tears. She's won three titles now in two different divisions, but neither she nor her parents say they will ever get used to the feeling and the intense emotion winning a title brings.

And even those who hadn't picked up a previous title, like sophomore Taylor Murphey couldn't stop the flow of tears.

"I can't even describe how good it feels. When we got down in the third (game) coach just reminded us to focus on the next point, and that's what we did," said Murphey about the fact that her team had fallen behind 22-20 late in the third game.