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Cottonwood Heights • As the ball drifted above the net, only one player in the third game between Brighton and Jordan had a decent shot at it.
And everyone in the building knew what was going to happen when it came down to Dani Barton.
The Brighton junior slammed the ball to the floor for her 18th kill of the night and the Bengals went on to win the Region 3 volleyball opener for both squads 25-22, 25-16, 25-14.
"She's impressive. She can get up and swing, that's for sure," Brighton coach Adam Fernandez said of the University of Utah recruit.
The last time most Utah prep sports fans saw Barton was at the Class 5A state basketball championships when she, despite a first-round ankle injury that left her hobbled, helped lead the Bengals to the state crown.
Barton's volleyball season a year ago was also marked by injury. But it was her valuable left arm that was broken while she was riding an ATV during a family outing — midway through the region schedule last year.
"It [her ankle] is still kind of swollen, but it's getting better," Barton said. "I feel pretty good. It's not affecting me."
With a 20-19 lead in the first game, host Brighton (2-1, 1-0) got consecutive kills from Barton to open a brief three-point advantage. Jordan (1-2, 0-1) soon retaliated with a kill from Lizzy Clark and a push shot from setter Hannah Sorensen to get back within 23-22.
But Bengals middle Leighnne Taylor got a kill and Brighton won the first game when a Beetdiggers' shot found the net.
Early in the second game, the score was tight. A 5-4 lead for Brighton suddenly ballooned to sizable advantage behind the serve of Bri Ingles. She recorded only one ace during an eight-point run, but Jordan rarely was able to transition from defense to offense during the stretch.
"I think defensively we're a better team than that. I think it was just mental," said Jordan coach Brandie McCammon. "Mentally, I think we let up a little bit."
Clark led the Beetdiggers with eight kills while outside Aleque Cronquist added six.
For the Bengals, besides Barton's 18 kills, middle blocker Corinne Larsen tagged Jordan for six kills.
"We're a really young team and we're still figuring things out," Barton said. "We're just gathering momentum and I'm really excited for this season." Storylines
R Dani Barton had 18 kills to lead Brighton in a sweep to start region play.
• Eight straight points by Bri Ingles head the hosts lead 13-4 to start second game.
• Jordan was led by Lizzy Clark's eight kills.