Unbeaten Hawks volleyball team rolls over Richfield, 2-1
Matt Harris
Staff writer
10-13-2016
RICHFIELD—The North Sanpete High School (NSHS) volleyball team is on fire, and showed it by posting an 8-0 record at the Sevier Valley Center Tournament in Richfield last weekend.
The Lady Hawks’ string of victories is a major part of a 16-game winning streak dating back to Aug. 27, when they lost the Wasatch Silver Bracket Championship game to 4A power Skyridge, 2-1.
“I know that it’s cliché, but the strength of our team is our team,” head coach Rickie Stewart said. “We have talented players who work hard, enjoy each other, and most importantly are good teammates.”
Prior to the tournament, North Sanpete faced two region competitors in Juab and Carbon last Tuesday, Oct. 4, and last Thursday, respectively. The Lady Hawks took both victories with relative ease, winning 3-0 in each match, before preparing for the tournament the next day.
The Lady Hawks faced 2A teams in the first day, with matches against South Summit, Grand, and South Sevier, dismantling all three teams without losing a set.
North Sanpete then faced 1A power Panguitch. Although the match was not the dominating effort the Lady Hawks were used to, as they dropped a set for the first time in six matches, North Sanpete still came away with victory over the Lady Bobcats, 2-1.
It was only the first match of five that the Lady Hawks played that day, as North Sanpete consecutively conquered Panguitch, North Sevier, Piute, Richfield, and North Summit with only the one set loss in the streak.
“We continue to improve in all aspects of our game,” Stewart said. “A few areas are fairly consistent for us, as our defense has been solid throughout. We have struggled at times with serve reception, but overall our passing and ball control has steadily improved.”
Stewart also says that the best performers of the weekend were juniors Shelby Ison and Madisyn Allred and senior Maria Hafen. “We had a good weekend offensively with [them] leading the way,” Stewart says.
With the success in the tournament, North Sanpete’s overall record stands at 21-3, with their only losses being against 4A Skyridge, 5A Pleasant Grove, and 3A powerhouse Dixie. During the Lady Hawks unbeaten streak, they have only given up four sets. Their only non-tournament loss has come against Dixie, and they are currently 6-0 in region play.
“We’re looking to finish out the region schedule this week strong,” Stewart said.
The Lady Hawks will travel to face Canyon View this Tuesday before returning to host Richfield, one of the teams that have won a set against North Sanpete during their streak, this Thursday.
Their last game will be against 4A power Maple Mountain, who are currently on an eight-game win streak of their own, next Tuesday. All games are set for 6:30 p.m.
