Connect with us

Sports

Represent: Maple Mountain boys volleyball mowing through Utah competition | News, Sports, Jobs

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (8) takes a swing against Springville’s Nolan Snead (left) and Evan Straw in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The Maple Mountain boys volleyball team celebrates a point in a Region 7 match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Maple Mountain’s Taft Hillman sets the […]

Published

on


Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (8) takes a swing against Springville’s Nolan Snead (left) and Evan Straw in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

The Maple Mountain boys volleyball team was invited to the inaugural First Point High School Boys Invitational in March, competing at the Austin (Texas) Sports Center against some of the top teams in the country.

The Golden Eagles, who won the first-ever Utah 5A boys volleyball title last spring, represented the state well. They finished second in the Legacy Division, losing just one match to No. 1 seed Windward (Calif.).

Maple Mountain has been one of the most dominant programs in the state the past two seasons and has won 36 consecutive matches against Utah competition. The Golden Eagles continued the streak on Tuesday, moving to 23-1 overall and 10-0 in Region 7 play with a sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) of Springville.

The First Point tournament showcased just what kind of boys volleyball is being played in Utah.

“It was cool to see the players from all the states there, even those states that don’t have high school volleyball,” Maple Mountain senior Trey Thornton said. “I know a bunch of the kids playing. Volleyball isn’t the biggest sport right now but it’s growing. So it was cool representing Utah. It’s a great state to represent.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

The Maple Mountain boys volleyball team celebrates a point in a Region 7 match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Maple Mountain also got some cool uniforms from the First Point Tournament, designed exclusively by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Slunks, a popular volleyball apparel company.

“Everyone got custom uniforms to represent their state,” Maple Mountain coach Napoleon Galang said. “It was a great honor. They look cool and the boys love them, but it really means more than that. It’s really for them to pioneer, leave a legacy and represent Utah in a positive way. And there’s no better team, in my opinion, to represent Utah in that tournament.”

Galang is in his first year as head coach for the Golden Eagles after spending the past two as an assistant. The team is built around the 6-foot-7 Thornton, who has signed with BYU, 6-6 senior middle blocker Manase Storey and 6-7 junior setter Taft Hillman, all of whom played a big part in the team’s state title last season.

Thornton, who moved to Utah from Alabama last season, quickly became on of the Beehive state’s premier players. As a junior, he finished with 429 kills (4.6 per set) and hit .364, sweeping the state’s Mr. Volleyball and the Daily Herald’s Offensive MVP awards.

Thornton’s numbers are soaring again this season. He’s already totaled 300 kills (4.3 per set) and has raised his hitting percentage to .472 against defenses designed to stopping him.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Maple Mountain’s Taft Hillman sets the ball to a teammate in a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

“This year, he’s trying to be a more cerebral player,” Galang said. “In whatever situation we’re in, he’s such a smart player. He’s focused on less errors this year, and it’s reflected in his numbers. He’s focusing on his passing, making good, smart plays and bouncing it when it’s the right moment. He’s improved his volleyball IQ, which was already high, and he’s making everyone around him better.”

Thornton’s totals would be even higher but for the dominance of the Golden Eagles, who have claimed 19 of their 23 victories in straight sets, including the past six matches in a row. He pounded out 27 kills against Skyridge in a five-set win earlier this season and had 25 in a five-setter against 4A No. 1 Orem.

On Tuesday against Springville, Thornton had 13 kills on 19 swings with just three errors for a hitting percentage of .526.

“I’ve been working with my setter (Hillman) and trying to ID the ball earlier, seeing whether it’s inside or outside,” Thornton said. “I’m working and trusting my teammates that they’re going to give me a good set and it’s going to work.

“One of our greatest strengths is we have great bench players. We can practice a championship game in our gym, which not many people can say they can. And we have great support from the community.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Maple Mountain’s Taft Hillman (left) and Manase Storey put up a block against Springville in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Thornton said he plans on playing his freshman season at BYU before serving a church mission. The Cougars would do well to keep an eye on Hillman as well, the son of former BYU standout Joe Hillman, who is an assistant coach at Maple Mountain.

Galang has plugged in two freshmen — outside hitter Kimball Olsen and libero McKay Beattie — and credits the leadership of Thornton and Storey in the Golden Eagles 2025 success.

“They (the freshmen) are some of the hardest working players I’ve seen,” Thornton said. “They want it. They want to play college, they want to win, they want to do all the big things, and they’re doing the right things for sure.”

Maple Mountain will likely hold on to its No. 1 RPI spot and be the top seed when the 5A state tournament begins at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center on May 9.

“From the beginning, the players knew what the goal was, and that is to win state again,” Galang said. “Every day in the gym we give the players challenges. We have to keep them challenged in every aspect of the game. They know they have to stay on top of it, because everybody is after us. As long as we play our game, play consistently and clean, and win the serve and pass game, it’s going to be ours to lose.”

Thornton added, “Every point is a mini game. We win our mini games, we win the game. We just need to stay hungry every point, locking in on doing what we need to do in practice and that will reflect on the court.”

Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Utah, LLC | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601



Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Paris Saint-Germain Crush Inter Milan 5-0 To Win First Champions League Title

MUNICH: Rampant Paris Saint-Germain won a first European Cup after outclassing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, thanks in part to Désiré Doué’s double on Saturday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, at Inter 2020-2021, struck the opener on 12 minutes in Munich and France’s Doué scored either side of the […]

Published

on


MUNICH: Rampant Paris Saint-Germain won a first European Cup after outclassing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, thanks in part to Désiré Doué’s double on Saturday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, at Inter 2020-2021, struck the opener on 12 minutes in Munich and France’s Doué scored either side of the interval after the Qatar-backed French champions produced two lightning quick counter-attacks.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu added the gloss for the biggest ever win in a European Cup final.

Inter’s Federico DiMarco had played Hakimi onside for the first, and Doué’s shot deflected in off the wing back for the second as the Parisians wrapped up an unprecedented French treble of Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France. 

PSG, who lost their only other final 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020, have undergone a change in emphasis under Luis Enrique with big names such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe replaced by solid performers and up-and-coming talents.

Spaniard Enrique had previously won the title as coach with Barcelona in 2015, also in Germany in Berlin. He joins an elite group of coaches to win the prize for two different clubs, including Carlo Ancelotti, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes, Ernst Happel, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. – BERNAMA-dpa



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Gauchos Track & Field Leaves Their Mark at NCAA West Regionals

Story Links COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s and Women’s Track & Field team has finished their competitions at NCAA West Regionals at Texas A&M University, where ten Gauchos put their skills to work in their respective events throughout the four-day meet. Over the course of the meet, the […]

Published

on


COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s and Women’s Track & Field team has finished their competitions at NCAA West Regionals at Texas A&M University, where ten Gauchos put their skills to work in their respective events throughout the four-day meet. Over the course of the meet, the Gauchos took part in eleven total events.

FIELD

The men’s hammer throw saw the first Santa Barbara athlete of the day, where senior Andy Buttrell recorded a mark of 58.60m in the event. Later in the meet, senior Eitan Goore notched a 5.17m mark in the men’s pole vault. Senior Will Denning also impressed in the men’s triple jump as he posted a jump of 15.19m.

On the women’s side, Kennedy Johnson was the sole representative in the field, where she took on the triple jump and delivered a mark of 12.46m.

TRACK

For the women, freshman Mia Shepard recorded a time in the 400m that was just short of a nationals qualifying time. The two-time Big West Athlete of the Week came out of the race with a time of 53.62. Maddie Conte, the only Gaucho to compete in multiple events at West Regionals, also recorded 13.69 in the 100m hurdles and was six places away from qualifying in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.09.

On the men’s side, the Gauchos had two competitors in the 200m, where senior Justin Steele ran 21.16 and Curtis Borden III was just hundredths of seconds away from a qualifying time in the event. Borden recorded a time of 21.01.

Sophomore distance specialist Parker Simmons took on the 3000m steeplechase on the third day of the meet, where he delivered a time of 8:53.52. Freshman Finn Andrews, who was the BIg West champion in the 400m hurdles a few weeks ago, recorded 52.07 in the event.

UP NEXT

At the NCAA Track & Field Championships, senior multis expert Brad Thomas will be representing the blue and gold. The four-day meet will take place at Eugene, Ore. on June 11-14.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Sophia Treder – Women’s Volleyball

2024: Played in nine matches, appearing in 24 sets … Finished the season with 44 digs (1.83/set) … Had seven digs in back-to-back matches against Yale (Sept. 28) and at Princeton (Oct. 4) … Finished with seven digs against High Point (Oct. 8) … Had a season-best nine digs against Columbia (Oct. 11). 2023: Played […]

Published

on


2024: Played in nine matches, appearing in 24 sets … Finished the season with 44 digs (1.83/set) … Had seven digs in back-to-back matches against Yale (Sept. 28) and at Princeton (Oct. 4) … Finished with seven digs against High Point (Oct. 8) … Had a season-best nine digs against Columbia (Oct. 11).

2023: Played in two sets in the season with appearances against Cornell (Nov. 10) and Yale (Nov. 18).

2022: Played in three matches, appearing five sets … Finished the season with four kills, seven digs, a block and a service ace … Had her first-career kill against Rhode Island (Sept. 2) … Finished with an ace and a dig at UConn (Sept. 17) … Had three kills, six digs and a block against Lindenwood (Sept. 17).

Before Brown: Played at the Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy … Named All-Catholic, All-State, All-Region and All-League at Marian High School … Team captain and two time DI Michigan State Champion … Named to the All-Academic Team.

Why Brown?: “I chose Brown because of the opportunity to have a balance between high academic and competitive athletics. The community surrounding me feels like a family as they support me in many ways as well as push me to be the best version of myself.”



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Three Tigers Advance to NCAA Outdoor Championships on Final Day of Round One

Story Links COLLEGE STATION, Texas – University of Missouri track and field’s Claudina Diaz and Kristi Perez-Snyman qualified for the women’s high jump final while Alicia Burnett punched her ticket to the women’s 100m semifinal of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on day four of the opening round at E.B. Cushing Stadium on Saturday. Diaz […]

Published

on


COLLEGE STATION, Texas – University of Missouri track and field’s Claudina Diaz and Kristi Perez-Snyman qualified for the women’s high jump final while Alicia Burnett punched her ticket to the women’s 100m semifinal of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on day four of the opening round at E.B. Cushing Stadium on Saturday.

Diaz and Perez-Snyman both recorded jumps of 1.84m (6-0.5) to take fifth and seventh place, respectively, while Burnett finished the 100m in eighth in 11.10, shaving another three hundredths of a second off her school record in the event. The three will look to claim the first women’s national title in their events in school history.

Burnett, Diaz and Perez-Snyman join Callan Saldutto, Valentina Barrios and Skylar Coffey as the Tigers’ representatives at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, at the national championship meet for their respective events on June 11-15. 

Ames Burton opened the day for Mizzou in women’s discus, where she placed 30th after a throw of 52.03m (170-8). In the Tigers’ final event, the 5000m, Monica Wanjiku finished in 16:38.21 for 35th, while Rahel Broemmel took 41st in 16:44.49.










SATURDAY, MAY 31 – NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS, ROUND ONE – DAY FOUR

Field Events

Place-Athlete-Mark | Notes (PR = personal record)

Discus (W)

30th – Ames Burton: 52.03m (170-8)

High Jump (W) 

5th – Claudina Diaz: 1.84m (6-0.5)


7th – Kristi Perez-Snyman 1.84m (6-0.5)

Track Events

Place-Athlete-Mark | Notes (PR = personal record)

100m (W)

8th – Alicia Burnett: 11.10, PR

5000m (W)

35th – Monica Wanjiku: 16:28.21


41st – Rahel Broemmel: 16:44.49

UP NEXT

Barrios, Burnett, Coffey, Diaz, Perez-Snyman and Saldutto will travel to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, at the national championship meet for their respective finals on June 11-14.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest on Mizzou Cross Country and Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the teams on Facebook, Instagram and X (MizzouTFXC).



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Victor Morais – Volleyball Coach

Victor Morais enters his second season as an assistant coach on the Morgan State volleyball staff. Hired prior to the 2024 season, Morais brings a wealth of international playing experience and coaching expertise to his new role at Morgan State University. Before joining the Bears, Morais spent two years as an assistant coach at California University […]

Published

on


Victor Morais enters his second season as an assistant coach on the Morgan State volleyball staff. Hired prior to the 2024 season, Morais brings a wealth of international playing experience and coaching expertise to his new role at Morgan State University.

Before joining the Bears, Morais spent two years as an assistant coach at California University of Pennsylvania (VULCANS), where he played a crucial role in the team’s success.

Morais, a native of Brazil, has also served as a college assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams at Carlow, a NAIA program in Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach for the inaugural season of men’s volleyball at Carlow in 2021 when the program played teams from seven different states. The following spring, the Celtics won their first intercollegiate match.

On the women’s side, Morais was a member of the coaching staff in 2021. Carlow earned seven victories at home before placing third at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Championship in Virginia Beach. The Celtics featured 12 players named to the River States Conference Scholar-Athlete Team last year.

Morais has also dedicated himself to coaching at various levels in the Pittsburgh area. His experience spans both club and scholastic settings, fostering the development of young players from 12 to 18 years old. Through his involvement with Pittsburgh Elite, Morais has guided and mentored aspiring athletes, helping them hone their skills and reach their potential.

Prior to his coaching career, Morais played for various club level teams in beach volleyball tournaments in his native Brazil. He then moved to South Africa and competed at the national club level while playing for Durban University of Technology.

Morais, who earned his degree from Durban (South Africa) in 2015, resides in Baltimore, Md.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

De Coninck and Malanda Punch Tickets to Nationals

Story Links JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Kent State student-athletes punched tickets to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships during action at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium. Alexandre Malanda advanced in the men’s triple jump on Friday and Svenia De Coninck […]

Published

on


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Kent State student-athletes punched tickets to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships during action at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.

Alexandre Malanda advanced in the men’s triple jump on Friday and Svenia De Coninck advanced in the women’s high jump on Saturday. The pair will join Shelby Grover, who previously qualified in the women’s heptathlon, at the national meet in Eugene, Oregon.

Malanda finished second in the triple jump but needed an outdoor personal-best on his final attempt to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. The Paris native soared 52′-9.25″ on his last jump of the meet to beat his previous outdoor PR by 0.5″ and remains at the No. 4 spot on the Golden Flashes’ all-time performance list in the event.

De Coninck cleared a personal-best height of 5′-10.50″ on her second attempt at the bar to finish 12th and secure the final qualifying spot for the national meet. Her PR puts her in a tie for the third highest mark in school history.

Jaheim Jones and Aliesha Shaw recorded top-30 finishes in both events in which they competed. Jones placed 25th in the men’s 200-meter dash in 21.04 seconds and 28th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.42 seconds. Shaw had a top mark of 158′-9″ for 27th in the women’s discus throw and placed 30th in the shot put with a top throw of 50′-2.5″.

Kristen Jay finished her freshman campaign with a top throw of 149′-0″ for 29th in the women’s javelin.

In men’s long jump action, Amare Hall soared 23′-6″ to finish 32nd and Ayden Bath placed 39th with a mark of 23′-3.25″. Bath also ran the 110-meter hurdles and finished 33rd with a time of 14.17 seconds.

In their NCAA prelims debuts, Keeli Dunaway placed 42nd in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 39′-10.75″ and Charles Pawlosky took 43rd in the men’s shot put with a throw of 54′-2″.

Donovan Crawford (men’s discus throw) and Malanda (men’s long jump) also competed but had fouls on all three attempts. Amryne Chilton was a qualifier in the women’s 200m dash but scratched prior to the start of the meet.

De Coninck, Grover and Malanda will represent the Golden Flashes at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

FOLLOW KENT STATE TRACK AND FIELD

For complete coverage of Kent State Track and Field, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates.





Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending