Monument Valley volleyball team at state tourney

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
Entering the 1A Utah State Volleyball Tournament as the #12 seed the Monument Valley Cougars came up against a tough second-round opponent in the #5 Wayne Badgers at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield October 28.
The Cougars battled hard, tying the match at a set apiece before the Badgers won two straight for the win, sending Monument Valley to the sixth place bracket.
In game two of the tourney, the sixth place quarterfinals, the Cougars faced a familiar foe – the Green River Pirates. It was the teams’ fourth meeting of the year.
This final match between the Region 23 rivals was one for the ages. Green River won the first and third sets while Monument Valley took the second and fourth, setting up a tie-breaking fifth set.
The Cougars outlasted the Pirates for an exciting 15-10 finish, propelling Monument Valley into the sixth place semifinals on Saturday morning, October 29.
In that match Monument Valley again came up against a tough opponent and suffered a four-set loss to #8 Escalante, bringing their season to a close. The Cougars close the year above .500, with a 10-8 record. They were 5-3 in Region 23 play.
Head coach Misty Cly said her first year at the helm was a challenge, but it was also a great learning experience. “I learned that you have to keep trying, be patient, and understand the situations that arise as a coach,” she said.
Of her team’s experience at the state tournament, Cly said they were at their best when they were playing as a unified team.
She explained that every player grew in their skills this season and said, “My favorite moment was doing a team building exercise with the players to show their support for one another and not focusing on the ‘I’ but on the team.”
Congratulations to Coach Cly and all the players on an excellent 2022 volleyball season. The team will lose four players to graduation, but there are several juniors and sophomores eagerly waiting to step up in 2023.