Morgan Volleyball reaches championship match for 10th straight year – brings home silver

For the past 10 years, Morgan has played in every 3A state championship game. Since 1987 when Coach Liz Wiscombe arrived in Morgan, there have been only nine years (1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013)  that the Trojans have not competed for the championship in volleyball.* Many years (17) Morgan has brought home the gold, and other years, like this year, the Trojans returned home with a second-place trophy.

“There’s no reason for anyone to hang their heads,” Coach Liz Wiscombe said, “We didn’t get the trophy we wanted, but these girls are champions in my book.”

“The last week of practice before state, we had some of the best volleyball in our gym that I’ve ever seen,” she said. “These girls never backed down, they didn’t quit, and they played their hearts out. I’m proud of them.”

After the final whistle blew at the end of five sets in the 3A 2023 State Championship Volleyball Game, Morgan was awarded their second-place trophy, and Emery received the first-place prize, their second ever, with the other in 3A in 1996 (Morgan won the 2A title that year before moving up to 3A in 1997).

Just as the Trojans and Spartans battled ferociously in ancient times, these two teams put on a volleyball extravaganza for their fans complete with kills, digs, and lengthy rallies. Ranked No. 1 (Emery) and No. 2 (Morgan) coming into the tournament, both teams demonstrated skill and determination as they fought for each point. In a match featuring five games that were determined by five-point differences or less,  20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, and 12-15, Morgan came up just short in the end.

Wrapping up the season with a 25-7 record, a perfect 10-0 region record, and a 36th region title, the Trojans’ only loss in 3A this year was to the Spartans. Their other six losses were to teams in higher classifications. Since August the Trojans have played 98 sets, winning 75 and falling in 23.  

Entering the finals, the Morgan seniors were able to draw on their three previous years’ experience in the championship match. In the opening set, the lead changed six times with six ties between the two teams before Emery broke an 11-11 tie to go ahead and pull away 14-19. Morgan narrowed the gap to 19-20 ending with a Keira Brewer kill and two Liv Jaffa kills and a block. The Spartans rallied back to go up 19-24 and eventually win 20-25.

In the second set, both teams came out swinging once again as they tied at 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 before the Trojans yielded the lead on errors to go down 11-14 when a timeout was called. After the time out, Morgan rallied back to tie the game at 17 and then took the lead for the remainder of the game to win 25-21.  

With the sets tied 1-1, Game 3 proved to be another tight fight. Emery gained a six-point lead, 13-7 before Morgan tied the game at 13 and then took an 18-15 lead on a kill by Hadlee Goode.  

“Hadlee Goode came into the championship match at a critical juncture and got some critical blocks and added a kill,” Wiscombe said.

Unfortunately, the Trojans couldn’t hold onto the lead and fell 23-25 in a battle for every point.

Entering Game 4, Morgan was down 1-2 and needed a win to keep their championship hopes alive. Game 4 included nine ties and the largest lead either team had was three points. After ties at 15, 16, 17, and 18, Emery went up 20-18. The Trojans dug deep and came back to score five consecutive points on a Jaffa kill, Gentry Criddle kill, Jaffa ace, and error by Emery to take a 23-20 lead. Criddle played a crucial role in the last points with a kill and a tip to keep Morgan alive with the 25-22 win.

With the sets all even at 2-2, the fifth set was to decide the match. With only 15 points separating either team from the championship, both teams came out strong. Morgan jumped out to a 3-1 before Emery tied the game at 7-7. Morgan maintained the lead until another tie at 11-11 and went up 12-11 on a kill by Jaffa. Emery tied the game at 12-12, and the Trojans were unable to stop them again, falling 12-15.

Criddle finished the championship match with 18 kills while Liv Jaffa added 15 and Brewer 8. Liv Jaffa tallied 11 blocks with Hadlee Goode and Tori Smith each adding five blocks. Jerstyn Payne recorded 19 digs and Criddle 16.  Emma Thurston had 22 assists, and Abby McKay added 17 assists and three blocks. Criddle received the serve 46 times, and Hadley Ovard 24.

“This has been such a fun year, “ Wiscombe said. “I’ve loved spending time with these girls. There were so many lessons learned behind the scenes at state this year that proved the caliber of these girls and their parents.”

“A friend of mine shared this quote with me after state. I think this pretty much sums it up.

‘Most think losing is failure, but little do these girls know that character is built by experience. They are being prepared for their future. What an incredible year!’”

Morgan opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory over No. 15 Judge Memorial, 25-14, 25-14, 25-11. In the game, senior Kamryn Randall served four aces and 18 points while freshman Payne hit three aces and tallied 10 points.  Criddle and senior Liv Jaffa each recorded 12 kills.

Next up in the quarterfinals, Morgan faced off against Richfield, the team they beat in the 2022 title match. The Trojans made quick work of the No.10 seeded Wildcats, winning 25-20, 25-19, 25-14.  

Jaffa led again with 11 kills followed by Smith with nine, Criddle with seven, and Keira Brewer with six. Criddle scored 17 points serving with three aces, and Payne dug up 17 balls. Criddle notched 17 serve-receive passes, and Ovard had 16.

In the semifinal game, the Trojans entertained a familiar foe in Region 13 opponent Union. The Cougars were the only team in the region to win a set against Morgan during the season, but the Trojans didn’t take any chances of not advancing to the finals and finished off Union 25-223, 25-19, 25-14.  

Criddle accumulated impressive stats with 10 kills, 27 serve receive, 13 digs, 11 service points, and two aces.  Sophomore Josilyn Jaffa added two blocks while junior Emma Thurston served four aces and 10 points. Ovard went 11/11 on her serves for 100% for the match. 

*Since 1980, Liz Wiscombe has coached a team in 34 championship games, only missing 10 title matches in 2A/3A volleyball bringing home 22 state championships between Morgan and Delta in her 44 years of coaching. λ