Midvale • The way Mountain View and Timpview’s volleyball teams played each other this season proved indicative of what transpired during the 5A state championship game between both teams.
The Thunderbirds and Bruins split their two regular season matchups, each winning on their home court. So when the two converged at Hillcrest High School on Saturday, there was no more fitting way than to go the distance.
The Thunderbirds beat the Bruins in five sets (25-19, 25-27, 25-30, 23-25, 15-9) to claim the 5A state title in volleyball in front of a raucous crowd of fans. It was Timpview’s first state title in volleyball since 2014.
When asked how it felt to win the title, Timpview senior Kesaia Makasini said with a big smile, “Amazing. Indescribable.”
The margin of the fifth set didn’t adequately reflect the way the match unfolded. There were several ties and lead changes in each set, and two of them could’ve gone either way by the end of them.
But it was the fourth set that gave the Thunderbirds the momentum they needed to capture the fifth. Timpview trailed 22-15 but mounted a comeback that had it down just 24-23 before Mountain View sealed it.
Even though the Thunderbirds dropped the set, the comeback was enough.
“That momentum just carried into the next set and we used that to get through the fifth set,” Timpview sophomore setter Silina Damuni said.
Timpview won the first set 25-19 despite having its quick start almost completely erased by Mountain View. The Bruins used four straight points to close within an 18-17 deficit, but the Thunderbirds held on.
Mountain View needed extra points to take the second set. Timpview trailed 24-21 before grabbing three straight points and nearly securing a 2-0 lead in sets. But the Bruins scored three straight of their own to tie up the match.
The third set was close throughout and Mountain View trailed just 21-20. But a 4-1 run culminated by one of several of Damuni’s aces sealed that set.
It seemed like every time the Thunderbirds needed a run, Damuni was serving. Timpview coach Charmay Lee said the sophomore is one of the captains of the team and is relied upon to make plays.
“When she’s back there and serving, it’s kind of like their little mama bear has got everybody in control back there and they just rely on her and try to keep her serving as much as possible,” said Lee, who is an alumna of Mountain View.
Lee said the team didn’t deal with any COVID-19 infections for the entire volleyball season. She said the players were home schooled throughout the season, and had “volleyball school” at either her house or the house of a team mom.
“We kept it really strict,” Lee said. “We take their temperatures. We make sure they’re not in social gatherings.”
Timpview entered Saturday’s title matching ha"ving lost onto two sets in the entire tournament. Mountain View also lost only two sets, but had a bye in the first round altering earning the No. 2 seed in the RPI.
Mountain View won the 5A state title in 2019 with a victory over Farmington.
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