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Taylorsville • Going quietly into the night wasn't on anyone's agenda when West Jordan visited Taylorsville for a volleyball match on Tuesday.
Although the caliber of region foes like Brighton and Bingham may be out of reach this season for the Jaguars and Warriors, fourth-place in Region 3 is a realistic goal, and both squads fought tooth-and-nail before West Jordan emerged with a 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-12 win.
"You have to think, 'Make it to state,' not 'Maybe make it,' or 'We'll try,' " said Jaguars' senior Xena Modai. "You've got to fight for it. We're going to keep fighting no matter how hard it is."
"If we can beat the teams we're supposed to beat, I think we can hold on to fourth place," said West Jordan coach Paulasi Matavao, regarding the last slot in each region that reaches the state tournament. "I think our girls are starting to gel a little bit. We've made some adjustments from the middle of the season and I think they're starting to pick it up."
Taylorsville (4-11, 1-6) didn't make it easy for West Jordan (13-5, 4-3).
Tied at 23 in the opening set, the Warriors got a kill from Savannah Swindlehurst, then won the set on a serve-receive error for the Jags. Similarly, Taylorsville pulled away from 23-all in the second set on a block by Kailey Peterson, then a kill by Finau Tonga to go up 2-0 in the match.
Tonga finished with 15 kills and three blocks, while Peterson added 12 kills from her outside position.
In the third, West Jordan's Hannah Brady served her team to six straight points to give the Jaguars an 18-12 advantage. After winning that set, West Jordan claimed the fourth in the late stages. West Jordan was up 22-21, then a missed Taylorsville serve, followed by an ace by Elena Despain, bumped the Jags to 24-21. After Tonga scored a kill for the Warriors, Modai finished off the set with a kill.
In the deciding fifth set, West Jordan led 13-12 when Taylorsville was called for a net violation. That set up a kill by Jaguars' middle Ariana Perez to finish the match.
Modai collected 13 kills, and Despain tallied 10 for the visiting team. —
Storylines
• West Jordan remains the fourth-place team in Region 3 after a comeback victory.
• Xena Modai scored 13 kills and Elena Despain got 10 for West Jordan.
• Taylorsville's Finau Tonga led all players with 15 kills while teammate Kailey Peterson added 12.