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Bountiful • It was a close volleyball match from the start almost to the finish. That's when Cottonwood took control.

The Colts stood tall in a decisive four-set victory — 26-24, 17-25, 26-24, 25-17 — over Viewmont. They held off the Vikings all game, but it was in the fourth set when their passes looked sharper, their defense tougher and their finishing more precise.

"We have a goal every game that we want to finish better than we started," coach Jenna Neves said. "At the end, I think we were working a little harder and finding the right spots. We were playing a little more aggressive."

The offensive push was led by outside hitter Rachel Wyss, a senior who makes up what she lacks in height with leaping ability. Wyss led the squad with 15 kills, including four in the final set to go along with two aces.

Wyss has been the leader for the Colts, who graduated a large group of seniors. And against Viewmont, she helped catalyze the turnaround.

"That's kinda been our game this year: We go up and down," Wyss said. "They tipped on us early, and it took us some time to adjust to that. But we played better, and we played well together."

Most of the contest was a teeter-totter affair, featuring two of Class 5A's youngest squads. The Vikings battled to a 1-1 draw in the first two sets behind a tough shot-blocking front of Carly Grayston, Taya Adams and Jenna Sawatzki. Another short but explosive hitter, Shelby Justice, made life tough on Cottonwood from the outside.

But after a close third set win, the Colts seemed to gain confidence, holding serve and staying alive longer in volleys. Taylor Drowne, who is playing setter for the first time this year, was a big part of the effort, finishing with 45 assists.

For the Vikings, Grayston had seven kills and four aces, while Justice had 11 digs. But coach Melissa Brewer said she was disappointed with the way the team faded down the stretch.

"I think it was a loss of focus," Brewer said. "We can be a great team, we just need confidence. And since we're a young group, we're probably going to be building that confidence throughout the season." —

Volleyball Cottonwood 3, Viewmont 1

R Cottonwood finishes out a close game with a 25-17 win in the final set.

• Senior Rachel Wyss leads the Colts rally with 15 kills on the night, and setter Taylor Drowne notches 45 assists.