Orem • The Delta Rabbit volleyball team doesn't have a lot of height, but what the girls lack in stature they more than make up for with teamwork, heart and discipline.
Behind 51 kills from Kennedy Springer and Jenna Bradfield, the Rabbits earned a 25-16, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22 quarterfinal win over Desert Hills and a spot in the 3A semifinals tomorrow in Orem.
"We've put in a lot of work this season, and it feels great to see that work paying off at the state tournament," said Springer, a junior outside hitter.
The Rabbits opened their quarterfinal with strong serving and exceptional hitting from Springer and Bradfield. The pair repeatedly beat the Thunder blockers and ran out to an easy win in Game 1.
The Rabbits' rock-solid serving went away in Game 2 and the Thunder adjusted their blocking scheme accordingly, earning the game win and leveling the match.
"We gave them 14 points off our service errors tonight," said Rabbits coach Deb Jenkins.
The tide swung back in favor of Delta in Game 3 as the Rabbits earned an early lead before the Thunder rallied to tie the game at 22-22. Springer scored off a dink and followed that up with a kill before Bradfield slammed the door with a gigantic kill that gave Delta a lead it would not relinquish.
"We talked more as the match went on and adjusted our rotations so they couldn't get a feel for where we were going," said Springer. "Tomorrow we just need to play as a team, stay together and step it up."
Delta, 25-4 on the year, advanced to Friday's quarterfinals, where Jenkins knows they will have to fix the mistakes.
"We've gotta clean up the little things," said Jenkins. "If we're passing well, we will win."
Snow Canyon defeats Spanish Fork •The defending 4A champs' inaugural trip into the 3A ranks proved successful on Day 1 as the Warriors were hardly tested in wins over Uintah and Spanish Fork. Ciara Parker led the way against Spanish Fork with 17 assists as the Warriors defeated the Dons 25-17, 25-8, 25-16 to reach Friday's semifinals.
Juan Diego defeats North Sanpete • Soaring Eagle coach Todd Halzhauser thought his girls played with some opening day jitters, but Juan Diego got by Hurricane and then outlasted North Sanpete to advance to Friday's semifinals. Juan Diego eked out a 15-13 Game 5 win over North Sanpete in a hotly contested quarterfinal late Thursday.
Morgan defeats Dixie • The Morgan Trojans improved to 23-4 with two wins on the first day of the 3A volleyball tournament. The defending 3A champs downed Carbon in their opening round match before slipping by Dixie in a late quarterfinal on Thursday. Morgan will meet Delta at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. —
Football schedule
Games Friday unless otherwise noted
5A playoffs, first round
Kearns at Bingham 4 p.m.
Brighton at Fremont 3:30 p.m.
Syracuse at Alta 3 p.m.
Riverton at West 5:30 p.m.
Cottonwood at Northridge 4 p.m.
Hunter at Lone Peak 4 p.m.
American Fork at Viewmont 5 p.m.
Davis at Jordan 5 p.m.
4A playoffs, first round
Highland at Maple Mountain 5 p.m.
Box Elder at Olympus 4 p.m.
Timpanogos at Bountiful 5 p.m.
Westlake at Mountain Crest 3 p.m.
Woods Cross at Timpview 7 p.m.
Orem at East 4 p.m.
Sky View at Skyline 3:30 p.m.
Saturday: Herriman at Logan 1 p.m.
3A playoffs, first round
North Sanpete at Grantsville 7 p.m.
Wasatch at Hurricane 5 p.m.
Dixie at Juan Diego 4 p.m.
Morgan at Spanish Fork 4 p.m.
Cedar City at Judge Memorial 5 p.m.
Ogden at Delta 5 p.m.
Juab at Stansbury 5 p.m.
Park City at Desert Hills 7 p.m.
2A playoffs, first round
Emery at Manti 7 p.m.
South Summit at Beaver 5 p.m.
Richfield at Millard 5 p.m.
North Summit at San Juan 5 p.m.
1A playoffs, first round
Altamont at Layton Christian 3:30 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at Rich 2 p.m.
Saturday: Monument Valley at Duchesne 2 p.m.
Saturday: Milford at Monticello 1 p.m.
