Nephi hosted a 13-team tournament over the weekend. The teams that were competing were Altamont, Grand, Hillcrest, South Sevier, ALA, San Juan, Duchesne, UMACW, Providence Hall, Wayne, Emery and the hometown Juab Wasps.
Beginning on Friday, the Lady Spartans were set to begin the tournament against the Altamont Longhorns. Emery would get a couple comfortable set wins, 25-11 and 25-17. After the win over Altamont, they faced the Grand County Red Devils. The first set was a great matchup, resulting in Emery getting the win, 25-22. They kept the momentum going in set two, winning 25-15.
For the final match for Emery on Friday, the Spartans were set to play the Jordan Beetdiggers. The Beetdiggers were not enough to overpower the Spartans, as Emery would get the win in two sets, with a perfect 6-0 sweep on the day.
For the final matchups on Saturday, the Lady Spartans were set to play the Hillcrest Huskies. In set number one, it was a good battle, but Emery would get the close win, 25-22. Set two and three were all Emery as well, getting the set wins, 25-18 and 25-13. This kept their streak of nine straight sets without a loss.
The stage was set for the two undefeated squads in the final match. Emery was set to play the South Sevier Rams. The Rams had wins over Juab, UMACW and Duchesne twice, falling in only one set of the four matches.
The Lady Spartans would fall in the first set, with a close score of 25-22. They weren’t ready to give up, with a dominant win in set two, 25-10. Set three brought an intense match, going the distance, with Emery taking the lead with another set win, 26-24. The Rams would even the score in set four, with another close set ending with 25-22.
The tournament would all come down to one last set, between the two teams with the drive to take home the tournament win. The set was another close one, with both squads putting it all on the line, but unfortunately the Lady Spartans would fall in a very close, 15-13.
South Sevier were crowned the champions after a great showing, as well as the Spartans showing excellent resiliency and composure. Now with seven matches under their belt in the early season, Emery will prepare for their first region matchup of the year against the Richfield Wildcats.
Richfield sits at 1-4 this season so far, with losses to Spanish Fork, Cedar, North and South Sevier. The match is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27.