Panguitch won the state volleyball championship against Manila three sets to zero on Saturday, November 2. The tournament was marked by the group of seniors’ determination to have fun playing their last games together.
Once in a while at a small school you get a special year when a group of seniors that have been teammates since bantam get to play together for the last time. This was one of those years for Panguitch. And the girls felt it.
Out of the thirteen girls on Panguitch’s team, nine of them are seniors.
Josslyn Griffin is one of the setters. Throughout the years playing together, Josslyn’s team had become her family. So when the state tournament rolled around in her senior year, she knew they needed to have fun doing it. “Me and my team had a goal at state to just have fun and play the game we know how. We wanted that state trophy so bad,” she said. “But our biggest priority was to have fun!”
Having fun turned out to be a successful strategy for Panguitch.
Throughout the season, the team had picked each other up and grown each other’s confidence to win all six of their in-region games. The team’s libero and team captain, Kadee Harland, led the region in digs, with Byntlee Owens leading on blocks, and Oaklee Woolsey on both kills and hitting percentage, but about half the team is in the top 15. As a whole, the team was not the number one seed at state, but they were the most well-rounded.
Addie Bailey, another senior on the team, said this wholeness was important to Panguitch’s success. “Just playing as a whole was really effective for us. From games we’ve lost, we weren’t playing together; we were playing individually,” she said.
According to Addie, who is a defensive specialist focused on serving, passing, and digging, the team was most successful when they played together and trusted each other.
Looking at the state tournament in retrospect, Addie echoed Josslyn’s comment about having fun. “I’ll just remember all the cheers we did on the floor and playing loosely and having fun together for the last time. It was fun to really enjoy playing for the last time together. We had nothing to lose.”
“I think the best moment on or off the court was just being with my team,” said Josslyn. “They are my family and I wouldn’t trade my relationship with each and every one of them for anything.”
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: Panguitch (number 2 seed) won the state volleyball championship 3-0 against Manila (number 4 seed).
Read about last year’s state volleyball championship in Panguitch Wins State Volleyball.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].