ETV News stock photo by Dusty Butler
Eighteen teams representing the 1A to 4A classifications gathered in Richfield this past weekend to participate in a two-day tournament.
Carbon got off to a hot start and took out South Summit 3-0. Crimson Cliffs then provided a close match in the second round. After taking a commanding 2-0 lead, the Lady Dinos faltered in the next two sets. It was a battle in the fifth set, but Carbon broke the 14-14 tie with two consecutive points to take the set and consequently the match 3-2.
On Saturday, the Dinos dominated their first two opponents. They swept North Sanpete 3-0 and beat Grantsville 3-1 to make it to the championship game. North Summit proved too much for Carbon to handle as the Dinos fell 25-20, 25-23 and 25-14 in three sets.
Emma Christensen logged 76 digs and 75 kills and in the five games, a 15.2 and 15 per game average, respectively. Katie Jones led the team in digs with 98 (19.6 a game) while Makenna Blanc averaged 31 assists and 11.2 digs in the tournament.
The Lady Dinos finished in second place with their spectacular play and moved up one spot in the 3A RPI standings into second place. Up next, Carbon (18-4, 6-2) will host Grand (14-8, 5-3) on Tuesday in Price. The game will be streamed live on etvnews.com/livesports.
The Lady Spartans started off their tournament against the same North Summit team. Emery also lost in three sets to the Lady Braves, who only lost a combined three sets in the entire tournament.
Emery then came from behind in the second round (25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 25-14 and 16-14) to beat Juab 3-2. The Lady Spartans stayed hot, sweeping North Sevier 3-0.
Again, Emery needed a comeback after going down 2-1 against Enterprise. The Lady Spartans battled, taking the fourth set 25-23 and the fifth set 15-11.
With the win, Emery advanced to the third/fourth place matchup against Rich. Emery dominated the contest 25-14, 25-20 and 25-21 for a three-set victory. The Lady Spartans took third place with an excellent and gritty performance in the tournament.
Emery has moved its way up the RPI rankings and now sits in ninth after the impressive weekend. The Lady Spartans (10-11, 2-6) will visit Blanding on Wednesday to take on San Juan (6-16, 0-8).