Orem » The momentum had clearly shifted and Pleasant Grove's Kim Dahl wanted to put an end to it. The Vikings had easily taken the first and second game against Layton but the Lancers were gaining steam at the end of the third.

That's when, after a timeout, Dahl told setter Kemi McFarland she was the hitter to set. When the ball came her way, she ended any thoughts of a Layton comeback. Dahl's kill decided the match as the Vikings won 25-15,25-10, 25-23.

"I told Kemi, 'Set me right now,' " Dahl said. "I just went up and swung away."

With the victory over Layton, Pleasant Grove will advance to the semifinals today at UVU.

The Pleasant Grove/Layton matchup was the third time in the quarterfinals a Region 4 team was pitted against a Region 1 team. The Vikings made it a sweep as they became the third team from the region to be one of the final four teams.

"We're very fortunate to be in this region," Pleasant Grove coach Jamie Schapper said. "We got to play these teams all the time and it helps prepare us."

The Vikings dominated in the first two games because they have so many offensive weapons. Once Pleasant Grove got rolling, they were hard to stop. Mendivil led the team with 12 kills and Dahl had 10. The Vikings were dangerous at every position on the floor and one rotation featured a very intimidating lineup of Dahl, Jennifer Hamson and Melissa Rider -- all over 6-feet.

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"Our defensive players do a great job and that gives us options to run different combinations," Mendivil said. "We always know someone can put it down."

But things changed in the third game. Pleasant Grove was just as aggressive but Layton became more competitive. Layton's big middle hitter, Mariah Katoa, got a couple blocks and that sparked her teammates. Good passing also led to some kills for Katoa.

The Lancers hung around and were down by three or four points for a majority of the game. When Layton closed the gap to 24-23, it seemed the Lancers could push for a fourth game. Dahl made sure they didn't.

"We played well in the third game but it was a little too late," said Layton coach Ricci Vowles. "We had a slow start and Pleasant Grove is too good of a team to catch up with."

mthach@sltrib.com

Storylines

Pleasant Grove becomes the third team from Region 4 to advance to the semifinals with a sweep over Layton on Friday.

» The Vikings get 12 kills from Danika Mendivil and 10 from Kim Dahl.