Davis running back Ben Keaton stretches out for a little more yardage. Davis defeats Pleasant Grove 17-9 in high school football playoff action, Friday, November 6 2009 in Kaysville. (Trent Nelson / The Salt Lake Tribune)

Orem » It was Highland's second set against Sky View and the Rams were struggling. Highland lost Game 1 but things started to turn around when Kave Leaaetoa went to serve. All that was running through her mind was to keep it in and swing hard.

She rattled off seven straight points, most of them aces, to give her team a big lead in the second game. Strong serving was just one of Leaaetoa's contributions as she helped Highland to a 24-26, 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 win over the Bobcats in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament at UVU on Friday.

"She's amazing," Highland coach Clint Barnes said. "She did a lot of good things for us."

Leaaetoa finished with 16 kills, 11 aces and two blocks. The Rams also got nine kills and five aces from Prasella Matemate.

But Barnes, whose team will face Dixie in the semifinals, is not completely satisfied with where his team is.

"We passed really well, but we need to hit the ball," Barnes said. "We have to want to swing. We gave [Sky View] some opportunities because we didn't."

The Rams seemed timid at times at the net and tipped often. Meanwhile Sky View went to their middle, Aubry Boehme, and she came up big. Behind her net play, the Bobcats took the first game.

But when Highland exposed their weakness on serve receive, Boehme didn't get as many touches. She finished with 10 kills to lead the team. Laura Mortensen also had

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10 kills for Sky View.

"We did ourselves in a little bit," Sky View coach Paul Hansen said. "It took us awhile to adjust."

Even though the Rams weren't hitting to their potential, they found ways to get points. Highland found the holes on the court and was smart with its tips.

But if the Rams want to beat Dixie, they'll have to do more than that.

"We just need to focus on our hitting," said middle blocker Nikki Lolohea. "We need to cover [each other] and just play hard."

mthach@sltrib.com

Storylines

Highland is in the semifinals after beating Sky View on Friday.

» The Rams will face Dixie, a team that has advanced to the championship match the past two years.

» Sky View is led by Aubry Boehme and Laura Mortensen, who each have 10 kills.