With a tough four-set loss to cross-town rival Cedar on its mind, the Canyon View Falcons used precision passing and a relentless offensive attack to grab the final spot in this year’s state volleyball playoffs.

They defeated Cedar for the second time in three tries this year, sweeping the match in straight sets, Oct. 26.

The Lady Falcons needed only a Cedar loss to Pine View a week ago to claim their post-season spot, but the Lady Reds downed the Panthers, forcing the play-in game.

“We need the win tonight to prove that we deserved to get in (to the playoffs),” Canyon View coach Teresa Mitchell said. “The girls played so hard, I’m excited for the next step.”

Playing the game at Southern Utah University’s Centrum, both teams came out fired up, meeting for the first time since Cedar beat the Falcons at Canyon View for their first win of the season.

“This was definitely a redemption game for us,” Mitchell said. “They came and stole that one from us. The girls really wanted this one.”

She was right, as the Falcons stormed out to a quick lead in the first set, one in which they never trailed. The closest Cedar was able to make it was at 19-13, after tallying three-consecutive points. Canyon View put a stop to the rally, scoring the next two points en route to a 25-18 win.

The second set was similar to the first, as the Falcons used a strong attack to jump out to a 9-3 lead, behind a couple of touch shots from junior Kassidy Carter. Canyon View also capitalized on two Cedar service errors during the run.

Playing with an early deficit, the Lady Reds battled to bring the game within four at 10-6, using a kill and a block by Lynelle Stapley, but were unable to completely close the gap. Carter kept the pressure on, recording another pair of kills, as she helped her team increase its lead to 16-8.

Cedar battled back, but Canyon View was too much, as they took the set 25-13.

In what proved to be the final set of the match, Canyon View again used a fast start to all but end the Lady Reds’ chances. The Falcons didn’t even have to provide much offense in the early going, as they took advantage of three consecutive Cedar errors and a touch shot by junior Alyssa Porter to take a 7-0 lead.

With the match nearly decided, Cedar’s Kristin Tebbs gave a last-ditch effort to revive her squad. She recorded back-to-back kills to cut the lead to 10-6. The teams then exchanged points back and forth, and another Tebbs’ kill made the score 17-13 in favor of the Falcons.

Following service errors by both teams, Tebbs and teammate Raquel Vasquez recorded kills, climbing to within three points at 21-18. Another Tebbs kill made the score 21-19, forcing a Canyon View timeout.

The Falcons then committed a pair of errors to tie the set at 22-22, but three straight points, including the match-winner by senior Bobi Dotson, ended Cedar’s chances.

“We stayed pretty intense the whole night,” Dotson said. “But our coach kept telling us to stay calm and to have fun, and we were able to do that.”

In the first round of the state playoffs, Canyon View faced Wasatch Friday, falling 1-3. The Falcons continued to build on their success against Cedar in the first set of the match, dominating both offensively and defensively. They took the set 25-19, shocking the Wasps early.

Wasatch, the top seed in their bracket, stormed back, capturing the next three sets, 25-9, 25-14, 25-19 to win the match.

In their final match of the season, also Friday, Canyon View staved off elimination after Bear River won the first two sets by capturing the third 25-22. However, the Bears were just too much, as they took the fourth set 25-23. The loss ended the Falcons season, in which they made it to the state tournament for the second time in three years.