ST. GEORGE — Cedar High traveled south to take on Hurricane High for Region 9 volleyball and won 3-1. This was a big road win for Cedar, as they now jump into second place in the region behind the undefeated Desert Hills.
Cedar Reds head coach Nicole Anglin saw her team improve on the things they have been focusing on in practice after the first set.
“I saw a lot off good defense and serve receive passing,” she said. “That’s what we’ve been working on a lot, and it was good to see.”
Hurricane came out of the gates on fire, winning the first set 25-18. Cedar had no answers, as they called a timeout once the lead extended to four and had to call another one after Hurricane continued to pile on.
The Reds started off the second set much differently, controlling the pace and leading late in the set 19-13. The Hurricane Tigers began to claw their way back and limited some errors, bringing to score to 21-19 in favor of Cedar.
Cedar recaptured the momentum after three straight Hurricane errors, now leading 24-19. Cedar won the set 25-22 after a late push from the Tigers.
Cedar continued to hold onto the momentum, leading 6-1 early in the third set. The Reds won a crucial rally to lead 16-8. Hurricane used a late timeout with Cedar leading 21-17, and the Tigers scored straight points but followed that up with more crucial errors. Cedar won the third set 25-19.
The fourth set came down to the wire, as Hurricane was not going to go down easy on their home court.
The back and forth set climaxed late, with a score of 25-24. The Reds were in the lead, but the Tigers tied the game at 25.
Team Captain Japrix Weaver made a smart play — as she approached for the hit, she decided to pass the ball into the back corner of the court. With no coverage in that area, Hurricane could not make a play on the ball, and Cedar got the next point to win 27-25.
After the down-to-the-wire win, Weaver said her team’s performance bodes well for the Reds.
“This is good because we’re really on a roll right now,” Weaver said. “We’re just getting wins and trying to rack them up on the road before we have all of our home games.”
Anglin said she’s happy to have Weaver back in action on the team following an injury last season.
“We’re super excited,” Anglin said. “She couldn’t play last year from a torn ACL, and we’re super happy to have her back. She’s been executing as a leader and a captain, and it’s been great to see.”
Weaver is one of the go-to options for Cedar, and she said she is more appreciative of being able to play after her injury last year.
“It’s awesome that my team can count on me, just like I can count on them,” said Weaver. “I just love it. Everything is 20 times better, and I’m just so much more appreciative of being out on the court, let alone winning.”
With its loss, Hurricane moves to 3-2 in region play and will take on Snow Canyon on the road in their second game of the week.
Cedar will once again travel south to take on Crimson Cliffs.
“We’re not really sure what Crimson is like because it’s their first year,” Weaver said, “but we just know that we’re going to focus on our side of the net, and it’ll work from there.”
When asked about how much a win against one of the top teams in the region means to her team, Anglin said she’s focused on the No. 1 team in the region.
“It means that we just want to beat Desert Hills,” she said. “We’re chasing them.”
The Reds were swept by Desert Hills in their first Region 9 game on the road.
Cedar will play Crimson Cliffs Sept. 19, with the game scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Region 9 Volleyball standings as of 9/18
- Desert Hills 5-0
- Cedar 3-1
- Hurricane 3-2
- Crimson Cliffs 3-2
- Canyon View 2-2
- Snow Canyon 2-3
- Dixie 1-4
- Pine View 0-5
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