ST. GEORGE – Just in case you didn’t know, volleyball is alive and well in Southern Utah. Tuesday night it was very much alive at Dixie High School. The cream of the volleyball crop in the 4A class is still right here in St. George. Snow Canyon put their No. 1 state ranking to the test against No. 3 Dixie.

The first game of the match found the Flyers down early. The Warriors, behind powerful hitters Taylor Murphey and McKenzie Willey, won the first game 25-9.

The second game saw the Flyers play their best volleyball of the night. Dixie’s libero Breanna Tibbs made dig after dig to keep the Warriors off balance. Flyer hitters Kaylie Jensen and Ashlee Porter gave the Warriors a taste of their own medicine by powering the ball over the net. The Flyers would even the match by winning the second game 25-12.

The third game was the turning point in the match. The score swung back and forth and featured scoring runs from both schools until Snow Canyons Ciara Parker exerted her leadership and led the Warriors through to the third game victory 25-22.

The Warriors would prevail in the fourth and final game 25-14 to secure the match. The Flyers’ outside hitter Hannah Harrah would lead her team with 11 kills. Parker had 40 assists on the night.

This was the first of the two regional games these rivals will play against each other. They will meet again at Snow Canyon on Oct. 28.

Robert is a professional sports photographer and freelance writer. You can see more photos from this game and other local sporting events at his website www.ASPpix.com. You can also see more of his work at his blog www.stgsportsblog.com. Contact him at [email protected].