Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys volleyball adds six wins
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi boys volleyball team has continued their intense schedule in the past couple of weeks, claiming victories in six non-league matches but dropping their opening Region 3 contest against Lone Peak, then the state’s top-ranked team.
March 10: Lehi 3, Orem 1
On the road, the Pioneers won the first two sets against a good Tigers squad 25-17, 25-18. Orem rallied to win the third game 25-22, but Lehi closed out the match with a 25-16 win in the fourth set.
Junior outside hitter Ashton Shewell hammered down 19 kills and also tallied three combined blocks, 20 digs and 27 serve-receives. Senior opposite Jonny Dustin posted 12 kills, 19 digs and 27 serve-receives.
Senior middle blocker Matekitonga Havea added seven kills while junior middle blocker Ben Anderson had six kills and three combined blocks. Freshman setter Todd Heath served three aces and junior setter Ty Reynolds dished out 43 assists.
“We were a little flat this match, but we were still able to come away with the victory,” said Coach Kolby Shewell. “Tonga Havea hadn’t played competitive volleyball before this season, and he has been coming in and making big blocks and getting timely kills for us. It’s fun watching him get better every game.
“Ben Anderson is our other middle blocker this year and has been solid every match for us,” the coach said. “We like the improvements that we are seeing with our team early on in the season.”
March 11: Lehi 3, Brighton 0
Back at home, the Pioneers swept the Bengals 25-11, 25-17, 25-22. Shewell registered 18 kills, two aces and 15 serve-receives. Dustin provided nine kills, led the team in digs with 12 and also had 12 serve-receives.
Anderson had six kills and junior opposite Marcos Madden added five kills. Havea made three combined blocks while Reynolds made 35 assists.
“Lehi came out ready to play tonight,” Coach Shewell said. “We were really efficient offensively and overall played well with good energy. We still have a lot to work on, but we are moving in the right direction.”
March 12: Lehi 3, Layton 0
On their own court, the Pioneers dominated the Lancers 25-13, 25-15, 25-20. Shewell racked up 18 kills, four aces, eight digs and 20 serve-receives. Dustin added 11 kills, four aces and nine serve-receives while Anderson had seven kills.
Freshman defensive specialist Corban Wood made eight digs and nine serve-receives. Junior defensive specialist CT Raubenheimer also collected eight digs. Reynolds served four aces to go with 41 assists.
“We are getting better every match,” Coach Shewell said. “I liked the energy that we brought to this game. We were able to get some good reps from our up-and-coming players Marcos, CT and Corban. Ben was solid for us in the middle tonight. Lots of work to do still.”
March 13: Lehi 3, Mountain Ridge 1
The Pioneers lost the first set to the Sentinels at their place 25-17 but came storming back to win the next three 25-17, 25-21, 25-16. Shewell was swinging hard in this one for 27 kills and two aces along with 10 digs and 17 serve-receives.
Dustin also made superlative contributions with 13 kills, three solo blocks, nine digs and 35 serve-receives. Anderson added nine kills and Havea six. Reynolds garnered 49 assists.
“We started out flat against a really good Mountain Ridge team and lost the first set,” Coach Shewell said. “Once we settled down, we got into a great rhythm, led offensively by Ashton Shewell. He was pretty much unstoppable offensively for his best game of the season.
“Ty Reynolds did a great job like always facilitating the ball and getting his teammates great offensive looks. Jonny Dustin was solid defensively and offensively,” he said. “Overall, we played as a team and got a good win.”
March 16: Lehi 3, Weber 1
The Pioneers prevailed over the Wildcats on the road 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19. Shewell set the pace with 19 kills, three solo blocks, 12 kills and 20 serve-receives. Dustin added 12 kills, four aces, 12 digs and 19 serve-receives.
Anderson provided nine kills and Madden had six. Reynolds made 41 assists. Raubenheimer took 11 serve-receives and Wood chipped in for 10 serve-receives.
“We came out flat from the beginning but found a way to get the win,” Coach Shewell said. “Weber was a very scrappy and disciplined team. We finally stepped up and put them away. We had solid play from our middle blocker Ben Anderson.
“During this match, Ashton reached 1,000 kills and Ty surpassed 2,000 assists,” he said. “They became the first boys in Utah history to reach these marks. Both are juniors and will continue to add to their totals.”
March 17: Lone Peak 3, Lehi 1
The Pioneers put up a good fight against the Knights, but the home squad prevailed 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24. Shewell scored 23 kills with 15 digs and 17 serve-receives while Dustin added 12 kills, 13 digs and 36 serve-receives.
Madden made five kills with three combined blocks. Anderson added three kills to three solo blocks and two block-assists. Raubenheimer tallied 17 serve-receives while Reynolds made 10 digs in addition to 41 assists.
“We had a good match against the top team in the state,” Coach Shewell said. “We battled every set. We had good contributions from everyone on the team. We are happy with where we are headed as a team.”
March 18: Lehi 3, Provo 0
After Lehi’s two stars were honored for their state records made a couple of days earlier, the Pioneers swept the Bulldogs 25-22, 25-17, 25-21. Dustin provided 19 kills and 14 serve-receives while Shewell collected 18 kills with 10 digs and 25 serve-receives. Wood had 11 digs and Reynolds 38 assists.
“On a night that we celebrated Ty and Ashton for their milestone achievements, the team came out and played their seventh game in a row with a lot of energy,” Coach Shewell said.
“Jonny had his best offensive game of the season so far and Corban made some great digs defensively. We liked the effort we saw tonight and are ready to dive into region play on Tuesday,” he concluded.
The Pioneers continue Region 3 matches this week but are also playing other teams. They will host American Fork on Tuesday (Mar. 24) and Springville on Wednesday (Mar. 25) before heading to Skyridge on Thursday (Mar. 26). Varsity contests begin around 6:30 p.m.
