Riverton surged ahead early, using a series of highlight-reel plays to offset a few unforced errors and claim a 1–0 lead.
The Silverwolves pieced together three dominant scoring runs that totaled a 16-2 stretch, allowing them to take control of the opening set.
A pivotal moment came around the 10-point mark when Herriman middle blocker Malcom Swiss came down on an opponent’s foot and rolled his ankle. The injury visibly shook the Mustangs and disrupted their rhythm.
”We aren’t a big team, we are a ball control team, and we had a little bit of trouble to start,” said Herriman coach Austin Linford. “Riverton is big, bigger than we are. When (Swiss) went down with an injury, I think it kind of freaked everyone out. As a team, we don’t sprint out very often — we tend to find our rhythm as we go along. Once we have our rhythm, we are very difficult to defend.”
Linford continued when asked about the conversation before the second set: “The group was asking how Malcom is. We had to address that after the match, but right now we have to play. We locked in a little bit better. We focused on us, and our hitters were able to start hitting really well. Hayden Francis came in when Malcom went down. He hasn’t played a lot of varsity and had a really good match, locking things down for us.”
Herriman bounced back with a commanding response. Rylan Petitt displayed strong leadership, racking up several key kills — including a well-placed cross-court spike that energized the team. Later, he sparked a 3-0 run to extend the Mustangs’ lead as they pulled away for a 25-18 win.
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Riding that momentum, Herriman opened the third frame with a quick burst. Although Riverton fought back to tie it at 18, the Mustangs regained control down the stretch to claim the stanza and go up 2-1 in the match.
”I do the best with what I am given. Matias Hanks is a great setter and puts me in great positions,” Rylan Pettit said of his huge second set. “I had a slow start to the season, but I’ve been working to fix my screen and get my hand high. Today it came off pretty good.”
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In a bid to shift momentum, Riverton adjusted from a 6-2 to a 5-1 rotation — opting to run their offense through a single setter to create more fluid attacks and sharper angles. The change initially caused problems for Herriman, as the Silverwolves jumped out to a 8–4 lead.
But the Mustangs adjusted quickly, turning the frame into a back-and-forth battle. With the score tied at 20, Herriman dug deep and closed on a 5–2 run to seal the match and complete the comeback after the Swiss injury.
When asked about the impact of some of his teammates, Herriman’s Tony Kowalewski responded, “(Swiss) is our energy guy, he brings all the heat and pressure onto the court. It was a hard adjustment to bring the energy ourselves. We had to intentionally be loud every single point and celebrate everything to supplement his energy. And then Matias and I have been playing together for all of our lives, being with each other for so long, it is hard for me to not trust him. We’ve had so much time together, everything I do on the court is easy because I know he can give it to me wherever I am on the court.”
Herriman now moves to 12-3 on the season, rebounding after a tough loss to Mountain Ridge on Tuesday.The Mustangs are now 4-1 in Region 2 play, which arguably had five of the top 10 teams in the state. They’ll next take on Salem Hills and West Jordan at a neutral site tournament on Saturday before playing through the second half of region play.
