Orem • Park City volleyball coach Matthew Carlson called it “The Knowing.”
He felt the favorite for the new Class 4A, which was without a defending champion after restructuring of the high school ranks, was the team his Miners would play in the state championship match.
But Park City won its first volleyball title by sweeping Sky View 25-23, 25-21, 25-21 at Utah Valley University to make Carlson’s season-long message to his team come true.
“We had a term we would say to each other, we called it ‘The Knowing.’ We would say, ‘We know it’s going to happen,’” Carlson said. “We’re just going to grind it out.”
As Park City (16-2) has done all season, the team relied on junior outside hitter Grace Wiczek. The 6-foot-2 standout continued to be the main force with 19 kills in the championship match.
“I can’t even describe how this feels. I’m just so overwhelmed with the work we put in and how this feels right now,” Wiczek said after the 4A first-place trophy was handed to the Miners.
“Wherever 42 [Wiczek] went, that’s where they set,” Sky View coach Sheila Sorensen said. “We couldn’t stop it for a while. She’s a great hitter, and we’re a good digging team. It was fun. They deserved that championship tonight.”
Although Carlson preached a sense of inevitable success, it took 16 points before he could get a sense for how the night would go.
“It was 8-8, back and forth and back and forth. We were playing phenomenal defense and running the offense beautifully,” Carlson said. “I looked over at my assistant coach and said, ‘It’s over.’”
It took awhile for that to happen, however.
The Miners had a scant 24-23 lead in the first set after Sky View (15-3) got a kill from Carly Cottle. But Park City won the set on a spike by Bryna Simmons, who finished with seven kills.
Park City maintained control through most of the next two sets as the Miners found other hitting weapons like outside Grace Stover and setter Emily Smith.
“It was a whole team effort,” Smith said. “There were a few moments where we gave all our hitter opportunities.
“This is amazing. I really feel like I’m on top of the world.”
PARK CITY 3, SKY VIEW 0 <br>•Park City wins the school’s first volleyball championship by beating Desert Hills in the semifinals then sweeping Sky View in the finals. <br>•Grace Wiczek records 19 kills for the victors, while Dawson Day paces Sky View with 13. <br>•Miners coach Matthew Carlson is the younger brother of Reed Carlson, who coached Lone Peak to a state title in Class 5A last year. <br>CLASS 4A STATE TOURNAMENT <br>Semifinals <br>Park City def. Desert Hills 20-25, 25-13, 25-22, 25-20 <br>Sky View def. Snow Canyon 25-13, 25-18, 27-25 <br>State championship <br>Park City def. Sky View 25-23, 25-21, 25-21