New Lone Peak volleyball coach steps into tradition-rich program
New Lone Peak volleyball coach steps into tradition-rich program
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- Lone Peak girls volleyball coach Matthew Moeai gives instruction to his team before a Region 3 match against Lehi on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Lone Peak’s Brooke Christoffersen (10) and Hallie Teeples set up a block against Lehi’s Sadie Brown during a Region 3 girls volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- The Lone Peak girls volleyball team celebrates a point during a Region 3 match against Lehi on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Lehi’s Brooke Toone (left) and Aliya Shewell set up a block against Lone Peak’s Avery Nibley during a Region 3 girls volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Lone Peak coach Matthew Moeai gives instruction to his team during a Region 3 girls volleyball match against Lehi on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Members of the Lone Peak girls volleyball team celebrate a point during a Region 3 match against Lehi on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Lone Peak’s Ava Burgess (3) takes a swing against the Lehi block during a Region 3 girls volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- Lone Peak’s Ava Burgess serves the ball against Lehi in a Region 3 girls volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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- The Lone Peak girls volleyball team celebrates a point during a Region 3 match with Lehi on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
The next caretaker of one of the state’s top volleyball schools in Matthew Moeai, and he has the Knights off to a 6-1 start after Tuesday’s sweep (25-16, 25-21, 25-8) of Lehi to open Region 3 play.
“The girls have been growing at a really fast rate,” said Moeai, who previously was an assistant for Lone Peak and has also been a part of Club V. “It’s actually surprising to see where they were for the first two matches and to where they are today. They’re just a lot more confident, and comfortable, and just a little bit more sure of themselves.”
The Knights, No. 2 in the MaxPreps Class 6A poll behind Pleasant Grove, got solid all-around play on Tuesday to move past the Pioneers. Neveah Tien’s ace gave Lone Peak an 11-5 lead in Set 1 and a 4-0 run, with a pair of kills from McKynzee Beddes, pushed the advantage to 23-12. At set point, Beddes sent an attack down the line for the winner at 25-16.
The Knights led 16-7 in Set 2 after a combo block from Avery Nibley and Sam Pope, but Lehi made a run and closed to within two, 19-17, on a kill by Brooklyn Toone. Pope scored twice for Lone Peak and Hallie Layton contributed a kill and a block for a 24-21 lead. Maisie White was strong at the net defensively at set point and Lehi couldn’t convert two opportunities, giving the Knights a 25-21 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3 was all Lone Peak. A solo block from Kyra Mahler gave the home team a 12-3 lead and an 8-0 run, with a kill and two aces from Beddes, put the set out of reach. Paris McKeehan’s ace pushed the Knights to match point and they won it on a Lehi error.
“Our transition (to a new coach) has been pretty good,” Pope said. “Matthew has been really good at letting us do our own thing and we’ve been working well as a team. We’re putting things together and getting used to each other coming back from playing club. Going from club to high school can be a really hard transition for some people, but we’re figuring things out and we’re doing pretty well so far.”
Moeai is aware of the deep volleyball tradition at Lone Peak but said he’s felt minimal pressure with lots of support from parents and the school’s administration.
“It’s a little challenging, in kind of just like reinventing the program and just reinventing the personality of the team with them being young,” Moeai said. “We graduated such a dynamic class for the last four years, so it’s truly been about reinventing themselves.”
A talented senior class, led by middle blocker Zoey Burgess (now at Kansas), won four straight state championships, including last year’s victory against Skyridge in the 6A final. While there is still plenty of talent in the Lone Peak pipeline, there’s plenty of work to do to get in position to win that fifth straight state title.
“I want the girls to know that this is a safe place to apply what we work on,” Moeai said. “We’re just creating a positive and healthy environment for the kids so that they can do that so they feel comfortable making mistakes and they feel comfortable trying new things.”
Thursday is a big showdown for the Knights against Pleasant Grove, the first of two Region 3 meetings.
“We’re all supporting each other,” Pope said. “We’re not just playing for ourselves, we’re playing for the whole team. That’s a big theme that Matthew is building. It’s a team and we’re not individuals and we work hard for each other.”
