High school girls volleyball: Top seeds Pleasant Grove, Lone Peak, Mountain Ridge, Corner Canyon all advance to 6A semifinals

Things got a little “sticky” for No. 2 seed Lone Peak in its 6A quarterfinal game with No. 7 Skyridge on Thursday at UVU, but coach Matthew Moeai was thrilled with the composure his players displayed to grind out the win.
After dropping the third set, Lone Peak regrouped in the fourth for the 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22 victory as the four-time state champs moved a step closer to a possible fifth straight state title.
Moeai said the key in the fourth set was, “I think going back to our game. It’s, again, a cliché answer and response, but going back to what we were doing the first two sets that worked for us.”
The quarterfinal match was the third meeting between the region foes, and Moeai credited Skyridge for doing a good job of disrupting what his team was trying to do in the fourth set.
He credited sophomore standout Ava Burgess for some clutch play down the stretch as she finished with 24 kills and a .425 hitting percentage. She also added 13 digs.
“Ava Burgess was a complete go-to for us, and she’s just been rising higher and higher each match,” said Moeai.
Mckynzee Beddes added 12 kills for the Knights, with Madison Rich chipping in with 10. Sam Pope notched 34 assists.
With the win, Lone Peak advances to Friday’s semifinals against No. 3 seed Mountain Ridge.
It wasn’t as comfortable as Mountain Ridge would’ve liked, but in the playoffs it’s all about surviving and advancing, and that’s what the Sentinels did in Thursday’s 6A quarterfinals.
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead, No. 3 seed Mountain Ridge dropped the next two sets against No. 6 seed Bingham before regrouping in the fifth for the 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 15-13 victory.
“We’ve seen each other twice and we split this year. We won over there, they won at our place. We knew it was going to be a complete battle. Even going up 2-0, the girls knew that it was going to be punch for punch,” said Mountain Ridge coach Bryan Nicholson.
“I was super happy with their resiliency to respond in that fifth set. It’s fun and Bingham has a great program and I have a lot of respect for their coaches and their players. It’s fun to be able to show up at state and play a really good team to get to the semis.”
Mountain Ridge gave up an 11-point run in the fourth set, but Nicholson said one of the keys to the win was how that mentality didn’t carry over into the fifth.
Allie Grossenback led the Sentinels with 11 kills and eight blocks, while Sadie White adding 11 blocks and Maia Morin eight blocks.
Addyson Cook recorded 18 kills, with Lucy Coombs adding 12 in the win.
With the win, Mountain Ridge advances to face Lone Peak in the semifinals.
“We’re excited. Two years ago they beat us in the finals and they’re the only 6A team we haven’t played this year, so it’ll be it’ll be nice, fresh matchup,” said Nicholson.
Pleasant Grove hasn’t won a 6A state title since 2019, but the top seed at this week’s state tournament took another step toward that goal on Thursday with a 25-11, 25-14, 25-14 win over No. 8 seed Fremont in the quarterfinals at UVU.
“The more that we’re playing as a team the more we’re trusting each other, and we see each other doing their jobs and holding each other accountable, and we just executed at a high level so good game by us,” said Pleasant Grove coach Isa Takahashi.
After a comfortable win in the second round against American Fork, it was another comfortable win against Fremont in the quarters.
“This is always what they work for, when they go to bed they’re dreaming about state and it’s fun to see we’re here and they’re having the opportunities and finding success through their hard work,” said Takahashi.
Aleah McDaniel had another great game hitting for the Vikings as she recorded 14 kills with a .345 hitting percentage. Addie Beck had a strong game as well with seven kills.
“She brings a lot of confidence for us, very low error,” said Takahashi about McDaniel. “If I need to get a ball to someone to put a ball away we can rely on her, and Addie too. We’re lucky to have so many options.”
Taytum Nelson added seven kills and four blocks for the Vikings, with Kaitlin Stadler chipping in with four aces. Cassidy Brinton added 10 digs.
Pleasant Grove advances to face No. 4 seed Corner Canyon in Friday’s semifinals.
Corner Canyon showed tremendous resiliency to advance to the 6A semifinals on Thursday at UVU.
With the fourth-seeded Chargers dealing with numerous injuries, and then twice falling down a set, they continued to fight and ultimately prevailed against No. 5 seed Syracuse for the 23-25, 25-20, 14-25, 25-20, 15-13 victory.
“We played like team today and that teamwork was insane, the girls played for each other and that’s what every coach wants,” said Corner Canyon coach Mindy Ricks. “After taking control in the fourth set we just used that energy and kept pushing through in the fifth set and then things just started falling into place and clicking.”
Ricks had high praise after the match for her setter Brooke Stauffer, who was dealing with several injuries but still battled throughout had a tremendous game setting.
“To see her come out and play her heart out was awesome,” said Ricks.
Halle Bills led Corner Canyon with 19 kills, with Saryn Kirkham chipping in with nine kills.
“She was phenomenal, she sees the court so well and can take those shots when they’re open if they leave her shot,” said Ricks about Bills’ hitting. “Because she she’s the court so well she’s able to communicate with her team and help them find those spots as well.”
Madelin Newbold came up big at the net for Corner Canyon with numerous key blocks, especially in the decisive fourth and fifth games.
The Chargers will next face top seed Pleasant Grove in Friday’s semifinals.
No. 5 Syracuse dominated No. 12 Westlake in the 6A second round, winning in straight sets with scores of 25-15, 25-14, 25-15. Avery Ericksen led the Titans with 11 kills, hitting .240 and adding six digs. The Barkdull twins contributed significantly, with Brinley Barkdull securing seven kills and McKinley Barkdull adding five kills alongside 11 digs. Middle hitter Emily Kenison was effective as well, posting a .455 hitting percentage with five kills. Syracuse’s convincing win advances them further into the tournament, marking their 20th win of the season.
No. 8 seed Fremont advanced to the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs with a tight 25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 25-16 victory over No. 9 Layton. Sadie Parrish led the Silverwolves with a standout performance, tallying 21 kills and 10 digs. Setter Atley Mitchell was instrumental with 49 assists, orchestrating a versatile Fremont attack that saw contributions from Olivia Surrage with 15 kills and Maya Jensen with 12 kills. After splitting the first two sets, Fremont seized control in the third and closed out the match in the fourth with a 25-16 win.
Top-seeded Pleasant Grove advanced to the 6A quarterfinals with a dominant 3-0 sweep over No. 16 seed American Fork. The Vikings hit .375 as Avrie Valgardson’s had a great game setting to go along with her three kills. Addisyn Beck contributed significantly with 10 kills and four aces, hitting at an impressive .400. Cassidy Brinton anchored the defense with 16 digs, ensuring Pleasant Grove maintained control throughout the match.
No. 4 seed Corner Canyon ousted No. 13 Weber in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals, dominating the match with scores of 25-14, 25-15, and 25-18. Outside hitters Halle Bills and Saryn Kirkham spearheaded the Chargers’ attack, consistently delivering crucial hits. Senior libero Sadie Brown anchored the defense with her exceptional passing, maintaining control for Corner Canyon.
Sophomore Ava Burgess powered No. 2 Lone Peak to a decisive 3-0 sweep over No. 18 Davis in the second round of the playoffs at UVU on Thursday. Burgess tallied 11 kills with an impressive .688 hitting percentage and added three aces. Sam Pope contributed six aces, 19 assists and six digs. Lone Peak dominated the match, winning the sets convincingly with scores of 25-13, 25-14, and 25-14. Avery Nibley chipped in with seven kills and a .778 hitting percentage.
No. 7 Skyridge swept No. 10 Copper Hills 3-0 in the 6A second-round matchup at UVU. The Falcons overpowered the Grizzlies 25-23, 28-26, and 25-14, showcasing a well-rounded performance. Kelsey Christensen led the charge with nine kills, while Hadyn Smith contributed significantly in the third set with four of her six total kills. Kylie Buttars delivered from the service line with six aces.
The Bingham Miners swept Farmington 25-14, 25-19, 25-10 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs Senior libero Jessica Truong anchored Bingham’s defense with a strong performance, while outside hitters Paige Ballif and Lexie Carlson had a sgreat game hitting. All three enjoyed strong passing games as well win the win over Farmington.
Mountain Ridge advanced to the 6A quarterfinals with a decisive 3-0 sweep over No. 14 Herriman. Senior setter Sadie White orchestrated the offense with 25 assists, while outside hitter Addyson Cook had a strong game with 12 kills. As a team, the Sentinels had a strong game blocking en route to the 25-13, 25-20, 25-20 win. Allie Grossenbach chipped in with six kills for Mountain Ridge.