At the beginning of the season, a handful of teams believed they could be state championship contenders. In volleyball, one person alone can't win a state title. These five players realized that but that didn't stop them from being the players who carried the biggest load in helping their teams make it to their classification's championship match.
Pleasant Grove's Danica Mendivil, Snow Canyon's Ciara Parker, Morgan's Ashley Garfield, Layton Christian's Jasmine Porter and Panguitch's Kalani Norris were instrumental in their team's championship quest this season. For that, they are The Salt Lake Tribune 's MVPs.
It's not easy to standout on Class 5A Pleasant Grove's team. The Vikings were stacked with two experienced setters, intimidating front-row players and tough-as-nails defensive players. Still, Mendivil stood out. She was one of the few players who played all the way around and she had a presence in every position on the court.
"She was definitely a huge impact player for us," said Pleasant Grove coach Jamie Schapper. "It's refreshing to have that caliber of player as well as have the leadership behind it."
Mendivil's intensity and competitiveness set her apart, and she thrived in pressure-filled situations.
"I feel I do better in those kind of situations," Mendivil said. "Being a senior, I just wanted to show how hard I've been working."
The Class 4A MVP is not a senior but plays with that kind of urgency. She plays matches as if they are her last. Even though Snow Canyon's Ciara Parker is just a sophomore, she led the team as if she were a seasoned veteran.
The setter had a keen court awareness. She was always able to find the hot hitters and never doubted the skill of her teammates. That confidence allowed her to lead an offense that was hard to stop.
"I watch my hitters and know some girls are faster so I might have to make this ball a little faster or sometimes I have to set the ball higher," Parker said. "Just knowing their strengths is a major part [of being the setter]."
Ashley Garfield, the 3A MVP, knows the role of setter very well. She started her varsity career at Morgan as a setter but this season, coaches moved her to middle blocker. Her more than 20-inch vertical leap and that she hits left-handed made it a seamless transition. She not only made the adjustments but she became the team's go-to hitter. Although Morgan came up just short of a 3A state title, the Trojans wouldn't have been the same team without her.
"She would do anything she could for the team," Morgan coach Liz Wiscombe said. "She brings that intensity. It's hard to explain. If she was playing marbles, she'd be competing."
The 2A MVP, Layton Christian's Jasmine Porter, is no stranger to competition. She is one of the top basketball players in the state and she brought that competitiveness to the volleyball court.
As a freshman on the varsity team, Porter played solely in the front row. But by her senior season, she developed into an all-around player and blossomed into an imposing presence in the front row. Her big wingspan made her hard to hit around and she was deadly hitting from the middle.
In her first three seasons with the Eagles, Layton Christian finished seventh in the state tournament every year. She made sure that didn't happen this season.
"I just wanted to do everything I could to help our team get past the second round so we could get higher than seventh," Porter said. "Everybody's dream is to win a state title and that's what I wanted to do."
Panguitch's Kalani Norris, the Class 1A MVP, has experienced winning a state title twice in her career but this year as a junior, she played a much bigger role. She was the Bobcats' go-to player and she wasn't afraid to step up in big situations.
Her improvement was tremendous. She finds the holes on the court better when hitting. She's good at hitting off the block and, other than the team's liberos, is one of the team's better defensive players.
"She was first-team all-state last year but she has gotten so much better," said Panguitch coach Troy Norris. "She's a silent leader. She definitely doesn't say much but I've never coached a player with more intensity."
» For the second year in a row, the same teams played for the Class 5A and Class 4A title. Pleasant Grove and Lone Peak battled it out for the 5A title but unlike last year, the Vikings came out on top. Dixie faced region foe Snow Canyon again and for the second straight year, came up short.
» Despite having a young team, Snow Canyon won its fourth consecutive state title this year. The Warriors' first title was in 3A and they made the seamless transition to 4A, winning the next three titles.
» Rich has been a power in 1A volleyball, winning 15 state titles since 1992. But Panguitch has been coming on strong in the last few seasons and won its second title in three years by beating Piute for the sixth time this season in the championship match.
» Region 4 was the state's toughest volleyball region and had three of the top four Class 5A finishers at the state tournament. Pleasant Grove was the state champion. Lone Peak came in second and Brighton finished fourth.
» Layton Christian finished the season 23-1 and won its first girls' volleyball state championship in school history with a win over region foe South Summit.
