Cyprus volleyball starts slow, reaches playoffs

After struggling though the first half of the volleyball season with only one win, the Lady Pirates ended the second half of the season with six wins, one being at the class 4A state tournament against Westlake.

“Our main goal was to go to state, and we made it,” Cyprus volleyball head coach Kristina Shupe said. “Our other main goal was to become a team by helping each other, meshing on the court and cheering for each other from the bench.”

The focus on the second goal for the season was a key factor in accomplishing the team’s goal to compete at state, Shupe said.

“Our weakness in the beginning of the season was mental toughness,” Shupe said. “We had a lot of talent this year, but the girls were mentally used to losing. So we worked on focusing on the fact that they could win. To get that mentality this year was really good.”

Cyprus lost to East 3-1 on Sept. 22 and to Highland 3-0 on Sept. 27 after winning its first match against Granger, 3-0 on Sept. 6.

The win mentality lit a fire in the Lady Pirates as they won three consecutive matches, battling Clearfield 3-2 for the win on Oct. 6. Then they faced East and Highland again Oct. 11 and 13 without allowing either team to win one set against them.

“They realized that if they worked hard in practice it shows during the game, and the more they pushed themselves the better they became,” Shupe said.

On Oct. 27 Cyprus defeated Clearfield again 3-1 and took its place in the state playoffs after defeating East one last time, 2-1 on Oct. 31. Cyprus lost its first state match against Timpview 3-0 on Nov. 4 and then turned around and won a close match against Westlake, 3-1 on the same day in the consolation round. After losing to Mountain Crest 3-0 on Nov. 5 the Lady Pirates were eliminated from the state playoffs.

Two players stepped up as leaders on and off the court this year, according to Shupe—senior Lori Parkinson, a middle blocker, and senior Erina Fonua, an outside hitter.

“Parkinson led the team in kills and digs,” Shupe said. “She was also the voice on the court to help focus her teammates and it helped the team out a lot. Fonuna may not have had a lot of stats this year but she brought a lot of energy and excitement to everyone, and the team really connected through her.”

Freshman Bolynn Alex, a defensive specialist, and Apa’au Mailau, an outside hitter, spent most of the season on the varsity team and ended the season as starters. The team only had four seniors this year so most of the team will be returning next year.