4A Boys Volleyball Semis: Timpanogos introduces itself to the finals
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- The Timpanogos boys volleyball team reacts during a 4A state semifinal match against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Cooper Pope of Timpanogos takes a swing against Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Members of the Orem boys volleyball team react during a state semifinal match against Payson at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Jackson Sanders takes a swing against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinals match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- The Payson boys volleyball team celebrates a point in a 4A state semifinals match against Orem at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Ben Hone takes a swing against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Lucky Jennings serves against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Timpanogos boys volleyball coach Jared Stark reacts during the 4A state semifinals against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Cooper Pope of Timpanogos serves in the 4A boys volleyball state semifinals against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Timpanogos freshman Brigham Woahn prepares for a serve from Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Cooper Pope of Timpanogos passes the ball against Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Will Brown passes the ball while coach Bill Sefita looks on in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match against Payson at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- The Payson boys volleyball team reacts during a 4A state semifinal match against Orem at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Payson’s Jace Mangum (left) takes a swing against Orem in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Payson’s Waylon Francom (33) takes a swing against the block of Orem’s Jackson Sanders (12) and Luke Wolsey in the 4A boys volleyball state semifinals at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Treyvon Cly serves against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
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- Orem’s Aaron Nielsen takes a swing against the Payson block in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
On Wednesday the Timpanogos boys volleyball walked into the UCCU Center for the 4A state tournament. Someone said to T-Wolves senior Cooper Pope, “Who are you guys? I’ve never seen those jerseys.”
Pope replied, “You’ll see them in the finals, don’t worry.”
Pope was prophet: No. 7 seed Timpanogos upset No. 2 Murray in the quarterfinals and on Thursday upended No. 3 seed Desert Hills 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21) to earn a spot in the 4A championship match.
Last season, the T-Wolves were a No. 13 seed and advanced to the semifinals before falling to No. 1 Orem.
This year, they busted through.
“From the start of the season, I was thinking about how we could make it further than we did last year,” said Pope, who led Timpanogos with 22 kills in the semifinal win. “It was a super competitive run last year. Then this year, I knew we had a good team so I just wanted to make it all the way to the finals. That was our goal from the beginning. We knew we could make it and we pushed hard. It feels so good to get past the stage we got to last year.”
After splitting the first two sets in the semifinals, the T-Wolves surged to a 19-14 advantage in the third set. Desert Hills rallied and closed to within 24-23 on a kill from their star, Brodie Hoag. At set point, Pope finessed a shot to an open spot over the Thunder block for a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 was tight but Timpanogos pulled ahead 17-14 after a couple of Desert Hills errors and a kill from Crew Kozlowski. The Thunder closed to 23-21 but Pope went off the block to get to match point. Setter Zaxen Downey, who had 43 assists, knew who to get the ball to, setting Pope out the back row for the winner.
“It’s because this team is fighting for their lives to get as far as they can,” T-Wolves coach Jared Stark said. “We didn’t play a good strategy with our RPI and didn’t get as many matches as we’d hoped this season, so our record doesn’t look as good as other teams. But now, late in the season, we’re catching up and we’re hoping to just keep taking off. This team loves the clutch moments. When it’s close, that’s when they get excited. They don’t get scared because they’ve put in the grind.”
Libero Chance Wallace was excellent for Timpanogos, leading the team with 23 digs.
“We love the clutch moments,” Pope said. “Whenever we’re in those tight spots, we’re always smiling, we’re always looking at each other because this is the sport we love to play.”
Meanwhile, top-seed Orem was cruising in its semifinal match against another Region 8 foe, Payson. The Tigers won the first two sets 25-12, 25-18 but the Lions found some momentum and roared to a 25-16 victory in Set 3. Payson continued its hot play and went up 8-4 in the fourth set.
“For us, we tend to focus on the deficits instead of just taking it one contact at a time,” Orem coach Bill Sefita said. “If we’re serving, just focus on our serve. So it was just chipping away in that manner.”
The Tigers tied things up at 20-20 on an overpass kill from setter Lucky Jennings and went up 21-20 after a swing from Ben Hone. At 24-21, a combo block from Aaron Nielsen and Jackson Sanders sealed the 3-1 victory for Orem.
“We just had to focus and know they (Payson) were going to fight hard too,” Sanders said. “So we had to fight back with just as much power. We had to come together more as a team and talk to each other, play our game and come back and beat them.”
Orem (25-6) and Timpanogos (15-9) met twice this season in Region 8 play, with the Tigers winning 3-1 at home and 3-0 on the road.
Orem was the No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament but lost a five-set thriller to Pine View, falling 17-15 in the fifth set.
“One thing we learned from our sports psychologist is to turn our nervousness into excitement,” Sefita said. “When you’re excited about something, you run toward it. That’s what we’re trying to preach to the players. We’re excited to be here and in the state championship.”
As for Timpanogos, Stark said his team also is looking forward to the challenge, despite facing the No. 1 seed.
“It’s the same sport we’ve been playing all day and all season,” he said. “What it comes down, what I tell the boys, is just play volleyball. What under our control is the stuff on our side of the net. So who’s on the other side doesn’t matter. We beat No. 2 and No. 3. Now it’s No. 1. It’s no different than two or three. We’ll just focus on the things we can control and not dwell on the things we can’t.”
