10 Utah high school volleyball teams to watch in 2015

Video: Varsity 17 matches in 10 days
See highlights of Morgan High's Aubrey Saunders during a busy stretch last season.

Can Pleasant Grove, Timpview and Snow Canyon continue their recent domination of state championships in volleyball? The pool of contenders is deeper than ever this season in Utah.

All three schools have been able to establish dynasties with ease. Pleasant Grove has claimed three straight Class 5A titles. Timpview has taken three of the last four Class 4A crowns. Snow Canyon has won six combined Class 3A and 4A titles over the last nine seasons.

These three schools headline 10 volleyball teams who are the best bets to be state title contenders throughout the 2015 season.

Pleasant Grove
The path to another state title became a little rougher for the reigning three-time champions when Bailey Nixon was lost for the season after tearing her ACL and MCL at a team camp in July. Nixon totaled 311 kills, 125 digs, 75 aces and 20 blocks as a junior. This is not a one-woman team though. Seniors Jeniel Biggs and Brooklyn Dahl are experienced playmakers. Sara Hamson is a force in the middle. The 6-foot-6 junior had 178 kills and 69 blocks in her debut varsity season a year ago.

Timpview (Provo)
Will the T-Birds be the team to beat in Class 4A again this year? Timpview has made a habit of winning state titles, but a repeat won't be a foregone conclusion. The T-Birds graduated talented seniors at nearly every key position from their 2014 championship team, so experience will be an issue early. Players like outside hitters Sarah Roach and Alema Atuaia will be counted upon to step up and keep the T-Birds soaring in 2015.

Bingham (South Jordan)
Last season, it appeared the Miners would be the team to finally dethrone Pleasant Grove. Bingham fell short after going through the regular season unscathed. The Miners are a little inexperienced compared to last year, with just four seniors on the roster. One of those seniors, Torre Glasker, is just the sort of leader Bingham needs. Glasker, a Utah commit, looks to build off a junior season where she tallied 177 kills and 149 digs on the outside.

Lehi
Finishing as Class 5A runner-up last season has only made Lehi hungrier to break through and end region rival Pleasant Grove's domination. The Pioneers bring back powerful outside hitters Rylin Roberts and Amber Lamborn along with senior libero Syd White. Roberts, in particular, made her presence known last season when she accumulated 327 kills, 34 aces and 27 blocks.

Skyline (Salt Lake City)
The Eagles are likely one of the few teams with enough depth and talent to challenge defending Class 4A champion Timpview. Skyline got off to a good start by winning the 2015 Utah Tournament of Champions last week. Leading the Eagles is senior outside hitter Abby Selcho. As a junior, Selcho tallied 310 kills, 232 digs, 52 aces and 29 blocks. Abigail Olds forms a nice outside hitting tandem with Selcho. She had 302 kills, 213 digs, 55 aces and 29 blocks last fall.

Snow Canyon (St. George)
With a ton of experienced players returning from last year's Class 3A title winners, this season has potential to be just as satisfying for Snow Canyon. Returning seniors Alexsa "Crash" Parker, Sydnie Hoskins, Shaylee Reed and Nikenna Durante all played crucial roles in the 2014 championship run. Parker, in particular, stood out as one of the best all-around players in the state. The New Mexico State commit tallied 466 kills, 315 digs, 39 aces and 39 blocks. Newcomer Jordan Plattner, a senior transfer, adds depth for the Warriors.

Northridge (Layton)
The Knights return five starters from a fourth-place Class 5A team. This has helped smooth the transition for first-year coach Rylee Garver, who was playing collegiate volleyball at Weber State only a year ago. Two of the returners include Talia Thompson and Katie Erwin. Thompson tallied 297 kills, 50 blocks and 23 aces last season. Erwin, a defensive ace, tallied 554 digs last year as a junior.

Morgan
The Trojans lost in five sets to Snow Canyon in the Class 3A championship game last season. Morgan has more than enough depth and experience to finish the job in 2015. Four players headline the group, including Pepperdine commit Jaiden Farr, Weber State commit Aubrey Saunders, Kennedy Wortman and Jorry Randall.

Bountiful
It isn't wise to overlook Bountiful as long as BYU commit Kennedy Redding is around. Standing at 6-foot-4, the two-sport star makes things tough on opponents with her height and athleticism. Redding averaged 10 kills and nine blocks per match last fall. The Braves also have several strong hitters to complement Redding – led by Kelsie White in the middle and McCall Asay on the outside.

Delta
Two-time defending state champion Enterprise outlasted the Rabbits to claim the Class 2A title a year ago. This year, Delta has enough key players returning to finally get over the top. Seniors Brooklyn Henrie and Sidney Springer are vital playmakers on the outside. The outside hitting duo combined for 542 kills, 658 digs and 70 blocks in 2014.

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. He can be contacted at john_coon@hotmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports