Lone Peak's Anna Burgess needed that competition. She loved to be challenged, so being the only libero for the defending state champion Knights was a little tough for Burgess.
    "There was another libero last year. She mostly started and I got some time," said Burgess, a senior. "We ended up not having a JV libero so I didn't have her pushing me for my spot. I wanted that because it's only going to make me better."
    Because she couldn't be challenged at practices, she challenged herself against Lone Peak's toughest competition this season. She had her best performances against the best teams in the biggest matches. In the state championship match against Pleasant Grove, another favorite for the Class 5A title, she had a personal best 38 digs.
    Her ability to rise to the occasion, as well as being solid for her team all season, has made her The Salt Lake Tribune's Class 5A MVP.
    "She just loves that position. When you become a defensive player, it's a different mind-set," Lone Peak coach Deanna Meyer said. "She's preventing the best hitters from getting kills. She's robbing them. She loves that kind of challenge."
    That ability is something she shares with the other four MVPs - Snow Canyon's Taylar Barney in 4A, Hurricane's Megan Clyde in 3A, Richfield's Lindsay Card in 2A and Rich's Allie Eastman in 1A. All five played the biggest role for their respective teams when their teams needed it the most.
    Barney was one of the few experienced players on a young Snow Canyon team. In a way, she anchored the team and was a player who was hard for opposing teams to stop. She was a big middle blocker who wasn't afraid to be aggressive. In the state title game against Dixie, she had two consecutive blocks to give the Warriors the lead in a close third game. She then had a kill and slammed down an over-passed ball to give Snow Canyon the match and the championship.
    But, that wasn't the only reason she was a leader for the Warriors all season long.
    "In timeouts, she always had a smile on her face and was shaking her head yes. She had a great attitude," Snow Canyon coach Alaina Parker said. "She upped her level of play, which was really key for us, and she brought the [other] kids along with her."
    Hurricane setter Megan Clyde would go to any length to help her team win. In a region match against Snow Canyon, she chased down a shanked ball and ended up in the stands. She was bleeding after the crash but she put bandages over the wound and didn't think twice about it. When the match was over, she learned she needed to get stitches.
    She went to the emergency room afterwards and got four stitches in her hip and three in her shin.
    "I'm a big competitor and I hate losing," said Clyde. "I try to keep my team up and do our best, even if we are losing. We're going to fight it out to the end, no matter what."
    Class 2A MVP Lindsay Card was surrounded by good players. Richfield won the state title because it was an extremely balanced team.
    But, it was Card's leadership and consistency that made her stand out.
    She didn't mind sharing the spotlight because she knew it would be hard for opposing teams to stop them if Richfield had more than one weapon on offense.
    The Wildcats had five quality hitters.
    When Richfield would get in tight situations, Card's consistency was the thing to push Richfield over the edge. During region play, Richfield was down 24-21 in the third game against South Sevier. The Wildcats pushed the game to win 30-28. Richfield had eight kills in that span and Card had six of them.
    "When it got close and got tight, she got better," Richfield coach Brett Beagley said. "But, her unselfishness is probably as good of an asset as you can ask for as a coach."
    For the season, Card averaged nine kills and nine digs a match. She led the team in passing and had .257 hitting efficiency.
    After last year's surprising loss to Panguitch in the state title match, Rich's Allie Eastman was even more determined to end her high school career with a championship. She was a go-to player and in the state championship, she led the Rebels with 22 kills and eight digs.
    Rich had an up-and-down season and the players couldn't figure out how to all play well at the same time. But, by the state tournament, the Rebels started to click and were playing their best volleyball of the season. And Eastman was leading the way.
    "My role was just to keep everybody united and to have fun, even when we were losing," Eastman said. "We played our best at state and we just wanted to get the [state title] back. It was just fun to represent our school. We're known for our volleyball and it just makes you proud to be able to wear Rich [on your shirt.]"
    Eastman helped Rich win its 16th state title in school history.
    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
   
   
    2008 volleyball MVPs
    * CLASS 5A: Anna Burgess, Senior, Lone Peak
    * CLASS 4A: Taylar Barney, Senior, Snow Canyon
    * CLASS 3A: Megan Clyde, Senior, Hurricane
    * CLASS 2A: Lindsay Card, Senior, Richfield
    * CLASS 1A: Allie Eastman, Senior, Rich