Stingers up: No. 1 Wasatch the team to beat in 5A boys volleyball
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- Wasatch boys volleyball coach Mike Wilton, left, talks to Seth Tate during a Region 7 match against Springville on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Players on the Wasatch bench celebrate a point during a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Springville on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Chase Billeter of Wasatch (4) blocks a swing by Springville’s Christian Hopkins in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Springville’s Quinn Laurie (4) serves the ball against Wasatch in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Chase Billeter of Wasatch prepares to serve against Springville in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Springville’s Quinn Laurie sets the ball during a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Wasatch on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Members of the Wasatch boys volleyball wait for Springville senior to be honored in a Region 7 match on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Nathan Burton of Wasatch prepares to set the ball against Springville in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
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- Springville’s Anson Petersen is honored on Senior Night with his mother and his nephew before a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Wasatch on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
After a Wasatch boys volleyball match earlier this spring, former wrestling coaching legend and athletics administrator Wade Discher approached head coach Mike Wilton.
“He said, ‘Man, this might be my new favorite sport,'” Wilton said. “‘It’s just so exciting, you know?'”
The top-ranked (in 5A) Wasps have gained a lot fans this season, rolling to a 22-1 record after Tuesday’s 3-0 Region 7 victory at Springville.
Wasatch didn’t exactly come from nowhere — the Wasps were 5A runner-up last season — but played in the shadow of two-time champion Maple Mountain. In 2026, Wasatch will go into the state tournament as the prohibitive favorite. The Wasps only loss came to 6A No. 2 Bingham, and they avenged that defeat with a 3-1 win earlier this month. Wasatch posted a 21-3 set record in going unbeaten (7-0) in Region 7 play.
“I always tell the guys, ‘You’re the magic. You’re what makes this happen,'” Wasps head coach Mike Wilton said. “We’re just coaches. We’re just trying to facilitate and give them opportunities. And then the guys have to go do it. And they do. They’ve been in some really tough situations and been down against really good teams and found a way to fight back.”
Senior pin hitters Chase Billeter (197 kills) and JJ Serre (191) give Wasatch two exceptional offensive weapons and senior setter Nick Burton (9.2 assists per set) runs the show. Juniors Graydon Fleitas and Grant Hansen, along with junior Tavian Wade and senior libero Foraker Fisher, fill key rolls for the Wasps.
“I’ve heard Coach Mike tell us this a lot, but it’s the ‘hunter vs. hunted’ mentality,” Billeter said. “Last year we were trying to hunt after teams and this year, we don’t want to be the hunted, we still want to be the hunter. Even if we’re ranked higher than someone else or supposed to win a match, we always have to have the mentality to go out and win like they are the target. I feel like that’s pushed us a lot, to learn that and get better.”
Heber City isn’t exactly a mecca of boys volleyball but Wilton said a key factor to the growth of his program was all the players choosing to compete on the same local club team.
“It started with a good group, a core group,” Wilton said. “We’ve had a club team in Heber for years and a lot of local boys would play because their parents couldn’t drive them down to the bigger clubs in the valley. Last year the boys elected to stay together in the local club just so that they could continue to build that team relationship. I feel like it’s paid off so much this season. We had a great season last year but Maple Mountain was a whole different level. I feel like the time our boys put in together in the club has put us on another level this year. We’ve had some guys that have fallen in love with the game and they play every chance they get.”
The Wasps made short work of a good Springville team on Tuesday, winning 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 in the Region 7 finale. The Red Devils cut an eight-point deficit to 15-10 in Set 1, but a pair of kills from Billeter got Wasatch going again and Serre pulled off a solo block to end it.
Set 2 was similar, with the Wasps going up 14-6 only for Springville to close to 15-11 on an Anson Petersen kill. Down the stretch, Wasatch got an ace from Wade, a block from Burton and a kill from Billeter to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Wasps led Set 3 13-7 but the Red Devils took a 15-13 lead on a kill from Christian Hopkins and a Wasatch hitting error. The Wasps surged and got to match point at 24-18, only to see Springville score four straight to close to 24-22. Finally, Serre powered a swing to the floor and Wasatch had its 17th sweep of the season.
Now the Wasps are focused on making a run to the state title at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center starting Wednesday in the second round.
“I won’t speak for the boys, but I think maybe they feel a little of that pressure,” Wilton said. “I just don’t want to get in their way or let them down. I want to let them do their thing and make sure I don’t do anything to mess that up. We try to remind them to celebrate what a special season it’s been and what they’ve done. But this is just another match, another opportunity to play and give their best effort. We cannot take anybody lightly. We cannot assume anything is going to be given to us. We have to go out and take anything that we earn.”
State Tournament seedings
The UHSAA announced volleyball tournament seedings on Wednesday.
Lehi (22-2), behind state kills leader Ashton Shewell (424), earned the No. 1 seed in 6A, with defending state champion Bingham (23-2) No. 2 and Lone Peak (21-6) No. 3. The Pioneers will open on Wednesday at 3 p.m. against the winner of a first round matchup between fellow Region 3 schools No. 17 Skyridge (1-14) and No. 16 Westlake (5-19).
In Class 5A, Wasatch has several strong challengers, including No. 2 Bountiful (25-3) and two-time defending state champion Maple Mountain (21-4), the No. 3 seed. The Wasps swept the Golden Eagles in their Region 7 meeting on April 14 in Heber.
Wasatch begins tournament play in the second round against the winner of Payson and Skyline, a 17-16 matchup, on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
The 5A and 6A tournaments run concurrently at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center Wednesday and Thursday.
The top team in the 4A classification is Mountain View (21-5), which ended the season on a seven-match win streak. No. 2 Crimson Cliffs (15-3), No. 3 Desert Hills (21-6) and No. 4 Sky View (23-5) and the strongest contenders, with defending champion Orem (11-16), which played a very difficult schedule, the No. 7 seed.
Mountain View will begin play on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the second round at UVU against the the winner of No. 17 Cedar City (10-15) and No. 16 Cottonwood (15-9).
For the first time, there will be a 2A boys state tournament. Salt Lake Academy (19-9) earned the No. 1 seed. The highest seeded local teams are No. 2 American Heritage (15-5), No. 4 Freedom Prep (17-7) and No. 5 Maeser Prep (7-10).
