This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As the regular season approaches its final two weeks, the fifth-ranked Davis volleyball team could afford to refine its lineup and give the backups a chance to see some action.

And that included the coaching staff.

While Darts head coach Lori Salvo was in St. George participating in a pickleball tournament, Davis still cruised to a 25-21, 25-16, 25-14 victory over West.

The host Panthers, not in a position to realistically challenge either Davis or Viewmont for the Region 2 lead, have to pin their hopes on finishing fourth and getting a berth into the state tournament.

West also did its fair share of lineup tinkering in a match that often felt more like a preseason scrimmage than a midseason region contest.

"We're just trying to get some girls some varsity experience, just so they have that under their belt," said Davis assistant coach Airial Sprague said. "And they'll have that confidence when it gets tough and we need them in there."

Davis (19-8, 9-1) was led by outside hitters Aubrey Louder and Abbey Rocha, who had 13 and 11 kills, respectively.

"We're doing pretty good. I love these girls, but we need to push ourselves a little bit more and work harder," Rocha said. "Our coach always says to work harder and play like Davis plays."

Fellow Darts' senior Maddie Corelli scored eight kills and a pair of aces even though she didn't play in the first game.

Sprague said that the six-footer didn't start because of the results in practice leading up to the match. Corelli entered the match with more than twice the amount of kills than the other two Davis middles combined.

"In practice we run something called the cauldron. They have chances in practice to earn points and she wasn't at the top," Sprague said. "The two middles that were playing were the top point-getters for the week."

Meanwhile, West (4-8, 3-7) entered the match a couple of games back of 4th-place Syracuse and with issues of its own - of a completely different kind.

"We're trying to compete with the number one team in our region and it didn't happen," Panthers coach Sabrina Kefu said. "We lack competitiveness, also trust - we're just trying to play well. We're just trying to fit the pieces into the puzzle.

"I have the greatest team," she added. "We just can't figure it out." —

Storylines

R Davis wins to stay atop Region 2 — one game ahead of Viewmont.

• Aubrey Louder leads the Darts with 13 kills, while fellow outside hitter Abbey Rocha adds 11.

• West moves libero Teukisia Vaitai to setter. By the end of the match, she leads the team with six kills.