On a night all about celebrating them, the seniors on Park City’s volleyball team made the difference.
The Miners swept Olympus 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 on Thursday night at home to improve to 14-10 on the season and 10-1 in region play. Park City was scheduled to face Timpview on the road on Friday in a non-region match and will wrap up its region slate on Tuesday on the road at Murray. Against Olympus, Park City senior outside hitters Emma Cusimano, Ruby Edwards, Lola Lane and Ashley Fannon made the most of their opportunities and dominated all night.
“You want to always end the season on the high note and peaking at the right time, and for it to be senior night and have the seniors play the way they did, it’s just like, ‘Yes!’” Park City coach Matt Carlson said. “What a great gift for the program, for them to remember that. It’s just awesome. They did such a great job.”
Carlson estimated his senior outside hitters combined for at least 25 kills in just three sets on Thursday. Early in the opening frame, Cusimano scored her first one of the match, and then senior middle blocker Kennedy Halper had a kill of her own. With Lane serving, the Miners scored three consecutive aces. All of this was a part of a 9-0 run to hand Park City a commanding 13-4 lead.
Edwards put herself on the board a couple of points later, and it was the beginning of a remarkable offensive night for her. She put down two more kills in the first set and kept rolling after that.
“I switched positions from middle to right side, so it’s been a little bit of a challenge,” Edwards said. “But I feel like tonight was really the night where I feel like I stepped out of my comfort zone and I started swinging really well. So, it felt really good to play like that.”
Edwards was due for a night like Thursday.
“She just was excited to play tonight,” Carlson said. “Just finally, working on her blocking, her swings and everything, it kind of just came, again, to fruition. (It) was just a big reward for all the work you put into it. You grind and grind and grind – and she’s a hardworking kid in practice – and to see it come together, you’re like, ‘Yes, this is what we’re working toward.’”
Cusimano had a big night for the Miners as well. Olympus had no answers for Park City’s seniors on the outside.
“We always just push each other,” Cusimano said. “We encourage each other. It’s competitive, but it’s fun.”
Cusimano also felt plenty of support on senior night from her teammates and a raucous home crowd.
“I felt very loved and appreciated,” she said. “It was awesome. I feel awesome. It’s really sad, I’m going to miss everyone. But overall, it was great.”
During Park City’s pregame festivities for senior night, the Miners’ younger players showed their support and gratitude for this year’s senior class. Whether it was strong performances from non-seniors like junior setter Camden Goodman and freshman middle blocker Sabine Smith or the seniors cheering on their teammates at all times, the power of this year’s class and the standard they set was on display.
“You heard a lot of the underclassmen talking about it and you see the freshmen and sophomores all crying, they’re just such great kids,” Carlson said. “We’ve created such a great, magical culture here, especially in finally putting the team first and putting Park City first.”