Salem Hills does heavy lifting to get past Spanish Fork
An ambitious Salem Hills student section decided to bring a barbell to Tuesday’s Region 9 volleyball match at Spanish Fork, pumping out 25 reps every time the Skyhawks won a set.
Anyone hoping for a full workout didn’t get their wish, but they did get 75 reps in as Salem Hills swept the Dons 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-19) to move to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in region play.
“I feel like since we have a lot of older players on the team this year, we’ve already been playing with each other so we all play well,” senior middle Taylor Snow said. “I think our friendship is why we play well together. We’re all best friends and it’s a lot of fun.”
The 6-foot-1 Snow, who has committed to play next season at New Mexico State, had a strong offensive night (10 kills) but did plenty of damage at the service line with seven aces.
Skyhawks coach Kathy Treanor said she has been working with Snow to get her to slow down a bit when she heads back to the service line, and that has helped turn Snow into a dangerous weapon there.
“I got quite a few aces tonight and that worked out well,” Snow said. “It’s a lot better than just trying to serve it hard all the time. When you get an ace, it’s almost like getting a free point because you don’t have to play it.”
Snow had two early aces in Set 1 and Tessa Treanor had a kill as Salem Hills jumped out to a 13-6 lead. A flurry of Spanish Fork errors and a block from setter Brinley Hardy got the Skyhawks to set point and Treanor smashed a kill for a 24-15 win.
Salem Hills went on a 6-0 run in Set 2, highlighted by two more Snow aces, to take a 21-9 advantage. The Dons committed a pair of errors at the end and the Skyhawks claimed a 25-17 victory.
Set 3 was close and Spanish Fork twice closed to within one point at 16-15 and 17-16. But the Salem Hills block earned back some momentum and the visitors slowly pulled away. Snow and Treanor dominated at the net for blocks to get to 22-17 and at match point, Snow fired off her seventh ace for the 25-19 victory.
Treanor finished with 11 kills, Hardy contributed 21 assists and Grace Holley had eight digs for Salem Hills.
The Skyhawks play at Springville on Thursday and Spanish Fork (10-6 overall, 2-2 Region 9) will host Wasatch.