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Eliza Katoa has no problem deferring to her Layton volleyball teammates.
But at match point Tuesday on the road at Woods Cross, she couldn't hide how much she wanted the ball. With an emphatic spike, she sealed Layton's 3-1 win (25-19, 30-28, 16-25, 26-24) against the Wildcats in the way that opponents have come to fear.
"I loved getting that last pass — it was a great set," the junior outside hitter said. "I just wanted to win it for us."
The power hitting helped propel the Lancers to an early two-set lead, including a five-point run to close out the first, and a back-and-forth battle to wrap the second.
But in the third, Layton committed several service errors and struggled to set up its offense. Spurred by strong performances by sophomore setter Bailee Barton and senior hitter Chloe Hirst, Bountiful dominated for a 25-16 set.
The Lancers had to regroup.
"A lot of this is a game of attitude," coach Ricci Vowles said. "We showed a lot of fight and determination when we really needed it."
A lot of that determination came out as the Lancers dashed to spikes that had been hard to handle. Combined with a more structured attack in the fourth set, Layton found a way to prevail.
Still, Woods Cross coach Stefani Jensen said she was proud that her group didn't roll over, citing Barton's composure in her first varsity match as reason for optimism. —
Storylines Layton 3, Woods Cross 1
R Eliza Katoa leads the Layton offense, hitting the game-clinching kill.