Hurricane was out to win a state title, and told anyone who was willing to ask. The Tigers accomplished their mission with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-11) victory over the Carbon Dinos on Friday at the McKay Events Center. "We had this goal for so long," senior Jordan Ha said. "We've taken a step each year to get closer, and to know we made our goal is basically ecstasy." The season has been a roller coaster ride for Hurricane coach Daniel McKeehan, from fighting back from key injuries - perhaps none bigger than Kara Cotter's shoulder issue - to players leaving, the ending was completely satisfying. "I'm proud of these girls. They did a phenomenal job," he said. "They faced adversity, stepped up and now they're champions." Cotter came up in the clutch once again for the Tigers. She registered 13 kills including six in the first set. Cotter, along with senior Megan Clyde played their best at the most crucial times. McKeehan called the two girls his Co-Most Valuable Players of the tournament. "You have to always focus and keep your team together," Cotter said. "Megan, Jordan and I got everyone pumped up and relaxed to play our game." McKeehan added he felt this was his team's best chance to win a state title with Clyde and Cotter. Clyde started all four years, while Cotter is a three-year starter. "Those two girls worked their butts off," McKeehan said. "It was huge to have them play their best games because we got to have captains do that." Whenever the Tigers needed a point, they went to middle blocker Kalistina Takau, who injured her ankle in Thursday's match against North Sanpete. In the second set and the game tied at 10, Takau was set up by Clyde and blasted a shot down the line, which sparked a 4-2 run for the Tigers. "There were a lot of moments, when the team needed a boost," Takau said. "In those crucial moments, we all did our share and really made this title happen." Hurricane was completely relaxed and comfortable by the third set. With the momentum clearly in their favor, the Tigers hammered the match home after two competitive games. They went on a 16-5 run to start the third, and closed out their first volleyball state title. "Every team wants to get in-sync and do their best," Ha said. "Thankfully we went into ours early in the match and did it all the way through without dropping into a lull." McKeehan added, "If you get a little momentum and keep it, you'll be fine and we did that tonight. Ha gave credit to the coaches for keeping them on track throughout the tournament and not forgetting their goal. "Before every match they would sit us down and (remind) us on what we needed to do," Ha said. Hurricane ousted the defending champions Morgan 3-0 in the semifinals. The Trojans had won 13 state titles since 1974. The Tigers got off to a lighting start in Game 1, jumping out to a 4-0 lead while forcing Morgan to take their first timeout. Hurricane never lost focus though and went out to win the game 25-19 and eventually the match. | 
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