The final spike slammed off the wood floor, and the players rushed center court in celebration.
So long, losing streak. Hello, playoffs.
After dropping four matches in a row since its Sept. 14 win over Wasatch in Heber City, the Park City High School girls’ volleyball team was able to make its way back into the win column by defeating American Leadership Academy 3-1 Tuesday on senior night.
The Miners saw six seniors out the proper way, and more importantly, clinched a playoff berth in the 3A state tournament, which starts on Oct. 29 at Utah Valley University.
“It was make or break,” head coach Katie McLintock said. “All my girls wanted it. They wanted to play, especially my seniors. I started all my seniors and they played well. We started out strong.”
Senior Josie Karz had an explosive 20 kills with a hitting percentage of .357. Ciera Figge had seven kills, while Abbey Winkelman had five.
Karz also had five aces on the night.
Shelby Johnstun had a passer rating of 2.7, while Amy ers had a 2.6 and Natalia Caro had a 2.4.
Park City took the first game from the visiting Eagles, 25-22. The Miners were down 16-15, before going on a 10-6 run to close out the game.
After going up 1-0, the Miners took a commanding 15-9 lead early in the second game. Then it went south as ALA scored nine straight points en route to a 25-21 victory.
Volleyball is a game of runs, and Park City has often found itself on the wrong side of offensive bursts. So it was again in the second game.
When asked why she didn’t take a timeout to change the momentum of the game, McLintock said she wanted her players to work through it together, because that’s the only way they would learn to do so in the future.
“I’m a big believer in confidence, self-esteem, and that’s the only way they’ll get it,” she said.
The first-year head coach knew what she was talking about.
The Miners dominated the third game of the match, winning 25-12.
McLintock had inserted her junior libero Johnstun for the first time and moved Caro to the back row to steady the team’s passing.
“(Shelby’s) a stabilizer,” McLintock said. “They’re used to her in the back row and she’s one of our best passers.”
Freshman Hailey Whipple also entered the game for the first time and stayed within the rotation until the Miners picked up the victory. Whipple played an active role as a middle blocker, blocking and sending dangerous balls over the net.
“I finished it off with Hailey because she was playing really well,” McLintock said.
After the second game, the Miners’ intensity picked up as they knew they had to win in order to extend their season a little further.
“A lot of it is energy,” McLintock said. “I just kind of read my players and I do like to play off energy: whoever has it, who’s positive and who wants to win.”
The fourth game showcased the intensity of a team desperate to erase a month of losing heartbreaking matches. ALA took the lead early, and were ahead when Park City had a game-changing point on the evening.
Feeding off tremendous hustle by Johnstun and Karz, the Miners evened the match at 11 and the momentum shift was in full swing.
They would go on to win the fourth game, 25-23.
“At least we’re going to state, and we can prepare for that,” McLintock said.
The Miners will have to wait and see who their first-round opponent will be, but the accomplishment of being able to overcome a significant losing streak at the tail end of a season under a rookie head coach speaks volumes for team’s never-say-die attitude.
“I absolutely expected to go to state,” McLintock said. “I had high expectations coming into the season. I’m glad we’re going to state. It’s important for Park City.”