After honoring their 10 seniors, the Grizzlies did what they have done in every Region 11 game thus far this spring and won.
Logan was already guaranteed at least a share of the regional title, but wanted it all to himself. The Grizzlies defeated a high-spirited Skyview team in straight sets 25-22, 25-22, 25-19 on Senior Night at Crimson Gym on Thursday night.
“It was a great night,” said Logan senior middle blocker Ryan Bergshaw, who had 13 kills and hit .545. “The crowd was very lively and loud. …Skyview is a great team with really strong hitters, good blockers and a great back row, but we didn't take advantage of what we had tonight. I think I was able to come out on top.”
Despite this being their first year of boys volleyball, the Grizzlies (17-3, 9-0 regional) are a group of club volleyball veterans. They have a lot of weapons and they used them all Thursday night.
“I think this was one of the best games they've ever played. They worked as a team, shared the ball, and their passing was perfect,” Logan head coach Preston Howe said. “It was clinical, textbook volleyball by everyone on my team. I was impressed by all of them. There were no weaknesses.”
Six different Grizzlies recorded kills in this game. Heath Roper led the way with 15 points, followed by Bergshaw.
“Me and Ryan (Berckshaw) joke that if I have to do something, he's my guy and we'll get it done,” Howe said. “It really helps to have all three hitters hitting at the same time. It leaves the door open for somebody. Tonight, the door was open for Ryan and he made it happen. … Heath ( Roper was hitting super strong and super high, which is a deadly combo. He's unbelievable.”
The Grizzlies have a lot of seniors, so they have a lot of options.
“That's good because you can put the ball in so many different places, which opens up hitting lanes for the hitters,” Begshaw said.
A balanced effort has resulted in more wins and opportunities to celebrate. The Region 11 Champion Trophy was awarded to the team that achieved 15 consecutive wins.
“It feels great to be undefeated in this region in our first year of sanctioned men's volleyball,” Bergshaw said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Bergshaw led the team with six blocks, followed by Gabe Craner with five. Jace Boyd had three aces. Noah Pedersen finished with 11 digs. Josh Jensen had 41 assists.
“Our goal is to spread the offense,” Howe said. “…I let him know about the great play of my setter (Jense).
Passing issues and hitting errors proved costly for the Bobcats (11-9, 5-4).
“We really struggled with passing, but it didn't matter,” SV head coach Sheila Sorensen said. “But we stuck with them (Grizzlies) and played hard. We're just learning things. … It's fun to play. They're a really good team. Their I am very happy about that.”
Bobcats lead guard Kwade Andersen returned to bat on Thursday after playing as a libero on Tuesday while recovering from a sprained ankle. Andersen finished with 13 kills and led Skyview with a .290 batting average. Cade Morrison had two aces and 10 digs, and Jacob McCune also had 10 digs. Bearette Jackman and Kimball Black each had three blocks. Sorensen was happy that Negro was able to play as the decision was made during the game due to an injury. Hayden Davis had 24 assists.
“Kwade did a great job in his first game back in the front row,” Sorensen said. “I'm glad Kimball is here. We're going to be healthy.”
In the first matchup between these schools, the Bobcats took the first set. The Grizzlies responded with their next three wins, all by close margins. Thursday was a tense affair for most of the game.
“Skyview is always tough. They're a scary team, really good offensively and defensively,” Howe said. “They built a huge block and served well. It's always a good match.”
The first two sets were close from start to finish. Neither team ever led by more than three points. In the opening round, the score was tied 14 times and the lead changed hands eight times. Bergshaw played strongly throughout the first set, finishing with two kills and one block as the hosts outscored the visitors 4-1.
“My setter (Josh Jensen) and I have a very good relationship and he sets me on a dime,” said Bergshaw, who had five kills and three blocks in the opener. said. “The other batters were pulling blocks, so I was able to take a free swing. It was amazing.”
There were 13 ties and eight lead changes in the second set, but each team scored several runs. The Bobcats capitalized on a 4-0 surge with kills by Andersen and Denver Hall to take a 7-6 lead. The Grizzlies battled back with a 5-1 run, with Isaac Anderson having two kills and Roper having one, to give Logan an 11-8 lead.
The second set was tied at 21-21, and Logan again had a strong finish with kills from Bergshaw, Roper, and Craner. Like the first match, Bergshaw finished the second match with a kill.
“I love the feeling of hitting a really good ball and letting the ball bounce,” Bergshaw said. “It's refreshing.”
There were five ties early in the third. The only lead change occurred when Logan put together an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the night to that point, 13-9. Aces by Jensen and Pedersen and two kills by Roper, which heated up in the third inning, highlighted the momentum.
Skyview will follow the rest of the way. Another ace from Jensen and a trio kill from Roper gave Logan its largest lead at 23-17. Landon Gunnell finished the set and match with a kill.
“We're going to continue to practice hard and head into state with a positive mindset and do our best there,” Bergshaw said.
“We had our biggest crowd tonight all season,” Howe said. “We've had a lot of support from everyone. This is a huge thing for the school and it's gotten more people interested in volleyball and talking about volleyball.”
Both teams will conclude their regional and regular seasons next Tuesday. But first, both players will play in a weekend tournament. Skyview host.
“This game will prepare us for this weekend's tournament,” Sorensen said. “We're excited about the tournament. We've got some good teams coming from 4A, 5A and 6A. It's going to be fun.”
In Tuesday's other two-region games, Ridgeline defeated Green Canyon with three wins, 25-12, 25-20, 25-17, and Mountain Crest won 21-25, 25-13, 25- Defeated Bear River in 16-4. 25-21.
In Millville, the River Hawks (13-6, 7-2) secured second place in the league with a victory over the Wolves (12-8, 4-5).
“Our team served really well tonight,” Ridgeline head coach Paul Warren said. “We were able to keep Green Canyon out of the system for most of the night, which led to a lot of digging and transition points. We also believed that our outside hitters also endured out-of-system swings that led to scores. I thought Colby Laine did a great job filling in for an injured opponent early in the first set. Defensively, we started to play with better discipline. We're going to play some very good teams this weekend and we're going to need that discipline to compete.”
Andrew Pinoci had a double-double with 15 kills and 15 digs. Aaron Young and Talmage Pulley added 14 and six kills, respectively, and Jentzen Budge had 20 digs. Trevor Topham also had a double-double with 34 assists and 12 goals. Badge, Pulley, and Topham each had his two aces.
Aaron Cox had six kills and Keaton Crosby had five goals for the Wolves. Cox made three blocks. Griffin Brough had 15 goals and Crosby had 15 assists.
“We played better in this game against Ridgeline than the last time, but we still made too many unforced errors,” GC head coach Maraina Knowles said. “Ridgeline did a good job of serving and keeping us out of our system. We missed some block opportunities that we could have gotten. That gave us energy in our game. ” Without the ability to attack consistently on offense and get a few stops on defense, it’s hard to maintain positive energy and momentum. Despite these challenges, I was very proud of my players for continuing to strive to make a positive difference, never giving up and helping from the bench.
“As the season comes to a close and we can look back at where we started, I am so proud of each and every one of our players in the gym, our manager and especially assistant coach Sarah Smedley (aka Texas) This is a special group of people and a special season to be a part of. ”
In Garland, the Mustangs (4-13, 2-7) overcame a slow start to defeat the Bears (0-11, 0-9).
“We got off to a slow start tonight, but improvement is what we're looking to do,” MC head coach Kayden Finley said. “Our middle blockers Joseph Hunsaker and Michael Hardy posted a combined efficiency of 0.000 in the first set, but in the next three sets they posted a combined efficiency of 0.338 with 11 kills and just 1 error. I am very proud of our boys and are excited to finish the season with the tournament this weekend at Skyview and the final regional game on Tuesday.”
Michael Hardy led the team with eight kills, and six players had kills for the Mustangs. Hardy also had four blocks. Peyton Haviland came up with 10 digs. Reece Coleman had 21 assists.
Joseph Bauer had 10 kills and three aces for the Bears. Bridger Barfuss came up with 17 digs.