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Orem girls volleyball players celebrate a point in a Region 8 match against Provo on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem's Meilani Akana serves the ball against Provo in a Region 8 girls volleyball match on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Provo's Meliana Chrisman (8) and her sister, Mila Chrisman, rise up for a block against Orem's Meilani Akana in a Region 8 girls volleyball match on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Provo's Nevaeh Magalei serves the ball against Orem in a Region 7 girls volleyball match on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Provo's Meliana Chrisman sets the ball to teammate Lupe Fonohema (19) in a Region 8 girls volleyball match against Orem on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Provo's Lexi Carter (in white) digs a ball during a Region 8 girls volleyball match against Orem on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Provo's Meliana Chrisman (8) takes a swing against Orem in a Region 8 girls volleyball match on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem girls volleyball coach Bill Sefita (in gray) celebrates a 3-0 sweep of Provo with his players on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem girls volleyball players celebrate a point in a Region 8 match against Provo on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Volleyball lends itself to chaos — after all, there’s a point scored on every serve and momentum can swing wildly moment to moment — so Orem girls coach Bill Sefita tries to prepare his players for that uncertainty in practice.

After a slow start to the season, the Tigers are getting it.

On Thursday, Orem swept Provo 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19), winning its second match of the season against the No. 1 RPI team in Class 4A. It

was the Tigers 13th straight victory after beginning the season 1-3.

“One thing we’ve always done in practice — this is just how I’ve always been trained — is I don’t do JV vs. varsity,” Sefita said. “I throw kids in randomly because I’ve seen research, and also from my own experience. Giving them the chaos in practice allows them to experience adversity in a controlled setting, so when they go into games their minds and their bodies are like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve done this before in practice, so I know how to do this in a game.'”

Some of that chaos has included injuries to starters Callie Eudis and Haven Michaelis as well as a late start for freshman sensation Meilani Akana. She missed the early part of the season while playing for Team Brazil at the U17 World Championships in Chile but has been terrific since returning, posting 4.4 kills per set.

Against Provo, Akana displayed the ability and athleticism that earned her a spot with Brazil (her mother grew up there), consistently finding space for powerful swings to finish with 16 kills.

“I think she brings a wealth of knowledge,” Sefita said. “Having that expertise in the international game helped her and it helps us, too. It’s just finding ways to that can kind of find her own groove because playing at the elite level and then coming to play high school, we’re still trying to find that elite ball. She’s finding that niche and she’s fitting into her role pretty well.”

Provo battled all three sets but Orem was able to take momentum near the end of every one. The Bulldogs put up a block and Meliana Chrisman served an ace for a 15-13 lead in Set 1, but the Tigers got kills from Moana Havea, Madi Scott and Akana to surge back in front. Akana dropped in an off-speed shot for a 24-19 lead and two plays later a Provo service error ended it at 25-20.

Provo tied up Set 2 at 15-all on Lupe Fonohema’s attack but Akana fired down three straight kills for an 18-15 Orem lead. Scott hammered back-to-back kills to earn the Tigers a 25-21 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set belonged to the Tigers, who got out to a 14-7 lead after a tip from Scott. The score reached 19-12 after Akana dropped in two swings and the match ended on a Provo hitting error at 25-19.

Akana said she learned a lot playing in Chile against some of the world’s top athletes.

“I like getting in and learning new things,” she said. “I got out of my shell, met new girls, heard new languages and experienced more competitiveness. It was super cool.”

Akana admitted to being so focused on working hard with her teammates to improve she was surprised to learn the Tigers had won 13 in a row.

“We’re continuing to get better and better,” she said. “I think playing scrappy teams like Provo helps us to be more controlled and more focused.”

Provo suffered a tough blow a few weeks ago when senior Nevaeh Magalei, who was second in the state with 578 kills last season, injured her knee. Magalei still played against Orem but was wearing a heavy brace that limited her mobility. Magalei plays libero on her club team and her skill level as a passer and setter is still valuable but the Bulldogs obviously missed her explosive offense. Chrisman kept Provo in the match, especially in the first two sets, but it wasn’t enough to push past the Tigers.

Orem, which beat Provo 3-1 at the Utah Valley Invitational two weeks ago, was No. 3 in 4A RPI heading into Thursday’s match with Green Canyon No. 2.

Provo (14-2 overall, 6-1 Region 8) continues league play next Tuesday by hosting Mountain View and Orem (14-3, 7-0) travels to city rival Timpanogos.