Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys volleyball claims Region 3 title
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi boys volleyball team finished the regular season with a record of 22-2 and captured a share of the Region 3 championship by beating top-ranked Lone Peak in the second league round.
The Knights defeated Corner Canyon by the narrowest of margins Tuesday (Apr. 28) and so they and the Pioneers each posted a 7-1 record to earn the co-title.
April 14: Lehi 3, Lone Peak 1
After coming out on the short end of a very close match in the first meeting on the road, the Pioneers bested the Knights at home 27-25, 25-12, 21-25, 25-22.
Junior outside hitter Ashton Shewell set the pace for his team with 19 kills, three combined blocks, 16 digs and 17 serve-receives. Senior opposite Jonny Dustin added 11 kills and 10 digs while junior middle blocker Thomas Wood provided six kills, two aces and six combined blocks.
Junior middle blocker Ben Anderson and senior outside hitter Kyson Ririe posted five kills apiece, and Ririe also took 18 serve-receives. Junior libero Rigden Hansen contributed 13 digs and 28 serve-receives. Junior setter Ty Reynolds dished out 46 assists.
“What an exciting match,” said Coach Kolby Shewell. “We came out with a lot of energy knowing that Lone Peak is a top team. We played the best we’ve played all season.
“We had contributions from every player on the court,” he continued. “Our defense and blocking was key for us tonight as well as consistent tough serves. The boys are working hard in practices, preparing for challenging games like this.”
April 16: Lehi 3, American Fork 0
The Pioneers next paid a visit to the Cavemen and swept them again 25-21, 25-14, 25-9. Shewell tallied 14 kills, nine digs and 10 serve-receives in the effort, while Reynolds served four aces, made four combined blocks and 34 assists.
Wood added eight kills plus two solo blocks and Ririe registered four kills, four aces, six digs and eight serve-receives. Hansen dug eight times and took 15 serve-receives.
“We came out flat but finished strong,” Coach Shewell said. “AF is a young team that is getting better every game, but we played well as a team the last couple sets. I really liked how we established the middle and got great results from our middles, who all hit over .400.”
April 20: Lehi 3, Corner Canyon 1
The Pioneers prevailed in an exciting match against the scrappy Chargers. Corner Canyon made a late run after trailing most of the first set, but Lehi held them off and a kill by Thomas Wood ended the game at 25-21.
In the second set, the Chargers held a slight advantage for a stretch in the middle, but the teams tied for the final four points until Corner Canyon got two back-to-back to win 26-24.
The Pioneers trailed for portions of both of the final two sets but put things together at the end to pull them out 25-19, 25-20. Both games ended with emphatic swats by Shewell, who finished with 17 kills and 39 serve-receives.
Dustin added nine kills and a team-high 13 digs, Wood had nine kills and two aces while Ririe posted nine kills and 11 serve-receives. Hansen provided eight digs and 22 serve-receives. Reynolds served two aces and made 48 assists.
“We played better tonight than we did the first time we played them,” Coach Shewell said. “I’m happy with the way we spread the ball around offensively. Corner Canyon is a good blocking team, but we got a lot of good looks thanks to Ty. We passed well also, which helped.”
April 21: Lehi 3, Skyridge 0
The Pioneers closed out their last league foe at home 25-18, 25-16, 25-22. Dustin led the attack with 13 kills and 12 digs while Shewell added 12 kills and 11 serve-receives. Ririe tallied eight kills, eight digs and 16 serve-receives.
Senior middle blocker Matekitonga Havea provided seven kills. Hansen dug 11 times and took 18 serve-receives. Reynolds registered eight digs to go with his 38 assists.
“This was our last region match and we earned at least co-Region 3 champs,” Coach Shewell said. “It depends on Lone Peak now. I’m happy with how we’ve been playing but we’ve got lots to work on before Senior Night Monday against Pleasant Grove.”
April 27: Lehi 3, Pleasant Grove 0
The Pioneers closed out the regular season with a Senior Night sweep over the Vikings 25-14, 25-21, 25-23. Shewell pounded the visitors with 16 kills and three aces to go with four solo blocks, one block-assist and 15 serve-receives in another outstanding performance.
Ririe added 12 kills and 17 serve-receives while Dustin tallied eight kills and Wood had seven. Hansen dug 12 times and took 21 serve-receives. Reynolds provided 40 assists.
“We ended the season undefeated at home,” said Coach Shewell. “We celebrated the seniors and everyone played well tonight. Pleasant Grove is a solid 5A team, but we showed up with energy and did well offensively and defensively.”
The volleyball bracket reveal show begins Wednesday (Apr. 29) at 10:30 a.m. on http://kslsports.com/stream. First-round matches will be played at home sites on Saturday (May 2), with the rest of the 6A tournament moving to the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University on May 6 and 7.
