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Kaysville • Considered by many to be one of — if not the — top female prep athletes in Utah, Brighton senior Dani Barton has narrowed her scope.

It's all about volleyball for Barton, and the Davis Darts experienced Tuesday how good the Bengals' outside hitter is as she knocked down 18 kills in second-ranked Brighton's 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 victory.

After the match, the University of Utah volleyball recruit said that she'll be graduating high school in November to wholly concentrate on the sport.

Barton, who led Brighton to a girls Class 5A basketball championship two years ago, is hoping that her graduation will come shortly on the heels of a volleyball state title.

"That's definitely our main goal. At the beginning of the season, we wrote out our goals and that was the main one," Barton said. "I definitely believe we can win."

She said that college classes at Utah will begin for her in January.

"It was a tough decision, for sure," she added. "But since I'm going to school for volleyball, I figured that's what's going to be best for me."

Against Davis, Barton peppered the Darts' defense from a variety of spots on the floor and Brighton (2-0) also got eight kills from fellow outside hitter Bri Ingles. The Bengals were also strong in the middle of the front line as senior LeighAnne Taylor and junior Corinne Larsen combined for 10 kills.

Even more critical from Brighton's middle hitters was how they served the ball.

The visitors broke loose from a 6-all tie in the first set as Larsen, who had five aces, served the Bengals to seven straight points. Although Davis rallied, the comeback ended at 24-23 when Barton smacked a back row kill for the opener.

In the second set, Brighton trailed 16-15 when Taylor got the serve. In a 6-0 run, she recorded an ace while Barton had two kills and a block as the Bengals took over.

"It's only our second match and we're inconsistent, but I've seen flashes of the kind of team we can be," Brighton coach Adam Fernandez said. "We knew they (Taylor and Larsen) could hit and they can block, but it's an extra bonus when they get us points from the service line."

Davis (9-2) started its season with a sweep of Northridge and then emerged as champion of the Northridge tournament. Against Brighton, the Darts were led by junior Emilee Turner's 11 kills.

"We never did get any fire. I think we were a little beat up," Davis coach Lori Salvo said. "We played (in the tournament), we had a late practice last night and our main setter (Libbie Darling) just flew in from a recruiting trip.

"We were playing hard and having some fun this weekend, but we just didn't have it tonight," she added. —

Storylines

• Brighton senior Dani Barton, who will play at the University of Utah, scored 18 kills and had four blocks

• Bengals' middle hitters Corinne Larsen and LeighAnne Taylor used their serves to lead the visitors

• Davis, which won the Northridge tournament over the weekend, was led by Emilee Turner's 11 kills