Hillcrest and Alta open the 2026 girls volleyball season the week of Aug. 12 with returning fourth-year coaches, young rosters and a shared goal: climb the 5A playoff bracket deeper than last fall.

Hillcrest: young roster, region-title ambitions

Fourth-year head coach Cassidy Adams brings back seven contributors from a Hillcrest squad that went 15-12 overall and 10-4 in Region 4 last season before falling to Wasatch 3-0 in the 5A First Round. The Huskies tied for third in region play and ranked No. 21 in the final 5A RPI.

Senior setter Jane Thomas and senior liberos Lyla Angle and Rylee Capone anchor the experience. Sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Webster and sophomore setter Kelly Thai return after earning varsity minutes as freshmen, while junior opposite Kinley Woodmansee-Ottenstein and junior libero Jules Cortes round out the returning core.

Adams is adding size at the net with senior middle blocker Coco Collins and junior middle blocker Riley Powers, plus freshman outside hitter Zoelie Vandamme.

"Building year with a few standout seniors and majority young varsity," Adams told the Deseret News in its Aug. 5 preseason capsule. "Looking forward to growing and competing for a region title."

The coaches' preseason poll slots Hillcrest fourth in Region 4 behind West Jordan (18-12 in 2025), West (19-9) and Hunter (18-12). The Huskies moved up from 4A before the 2025 season, when they went 18-9 and finished second in Region 10. The transition year is behind them.

Alta: tough region, tournament experience

Alta went 16-15 overall in 2025 under fourth-year coach Sarah Kane but managed only a 3-9 mark in Region 6, finishing sixth. The Hawks still earned a state-tournament berth as the No. 19 seed, beat Clearfield 3-2 in the First Round and pushed into the Second Round before Skyline ended their season 3-0.

That postseason run marked progress. In 2024, Alta went 14-15 and was bounced in the Second Round by Woods Cross.

The challenge in Region 6 remains steep. Defending 5A state champion Woods Cross went 30-1 last season, beat Skyline 3-2 in the title match and returns six starters, including senior setter Zamari Christensen and senior outside hitter Brylee Howard. Woods Cross coach Nicole Hogan called her group's outlook one of "cautious optimism" in the Deseret News capsule.

Alta did not submit roster information to the Deseret News for the preseason preview, so specific returning players and newcomers are not yet public. The coaches' poll projects the Hawks seventh in Region 6.

What's ahead

Opening opponents and full schedules for both programs have not been announced. Region play follows later in the fall, with Hillcrest competing in an eight-team Region 4 and Alta navigating a seven-team Region 6 headlined by Woods Cross.