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On May 7-8, the NS boys volleyball team competed against multiple schools for a chance at the boys volleyball state title; they ended the tournament ranked fourth after tough losses to Grantsville and Salt Lake Academy.
“The first day of state was really good, we played really well,” junior Maxwell Cox said. “The second day we still played really well, we just lost.”
In the first game of state they won, beating Juan Diego in straight sets. Going into the first match, they felt their energy was really good. In the second match against Juab, they also won in straight sets.
However, on day two, their energy was low, and the team faltered, especially after Dalton Poulson broke his ankle.
“Those first two sets against Juab like we were on an energy high, the adrenaline was going, and we were playing so well that it just kept building energy,” said coach Auston Ison. “And when Dalton got hurt, we kind of lost it, although I feel like it came back to what it was before.”
Despite the let down, Ison felt like they played well in some tough situations.
“We had a lot of fight because there were times where the game was close, like back and forth,” Ison said. “They were tight games, but we played super well.”
Going into state many of the players were hopeful, and being ranked fifth overall, they were hoping to have a better chance at winning this year, but many of them ended up unhappy with how it went down.
“We were just playing dumb,” junior Cole Booher said, “like you could slowly watch the players sink deeper and deeper into their heads.”
In any sport every player needs to be able to stay focused and in the game, and volleyball is no different. If you are getting in your head, getting mad, not focusing, and blaming yourself and others, the percentage of you doing well is less, which greatly impacts the way you play.
“I feel like I personally put in a decent amount of effort,” said junior Carson Bench “but other than that, it was out of my control.”
Though some felt disappointed in the outcome, the tournament capped off another excellent season for the young team. They ended with a record of 18-14 and 11-1 in region, including a region title.
