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Park City wraps up season of struggles First year in system was learning experience, something to build on

Adia Waldburger ,of the Record staff

For the Miners volleyball team, one moment changed an entire night. Playing in the fourth game against the Uintah Utes, Briana Sardo went down for a ball. When she got up, her leg started cramping until she could barely walk, soon the pain spread to the other leg and the team’s star player was forced to watch the remainder of the game laying on the sideline. The Miners rallied to the win, but Sardo was still in pain. In game five, head coach Josh Fisher rotated Sardo into the game from the back, rather than her normal position at the net, so she would rotate forward to match up with Uintah’s weaker frontline. The decision was designed to give Sardo some rest, but by the time she was up front, the Utes were already up eight points. The Miners were unable to rally to a match-winning victory and earn their first Region 10 win (16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 13-25, 15-12) "I think if that hadn’t happened, we could have pulled it off," Sardo said. The Miners won on all other levels, freshman, sophomore and junior varsity. Rather than bounce back on Thursday, the Miners had to travel to meet state powerhouse Morgan, which hasn’t lost a region match since 1996. The Miners tried to keep up with the Trojans, but were no match for the quick-setting offense of Morgan, losing (10-25, 15-25, 7-25). "It’s kind of a shock, because we’ve never played a team this good, but I think definitely you can learn things from teams like this," Sardo said. One thing Fisher hopes his team can learn is teamwork. The Trojans rely on knowing where every player is on the court and communication, which leads to smooth, effective passing, a skill the Miners sometimes lack. "They just don’t feel comfortable playing together," Fisher said. "Certain players just don’t mesh together this year." Fisher hopes that in the off-season, the upperclassmen can play together on the club level and learn vital team communication and awareness. For now, though, the Miners still have one region match left against Wasatch and hope to act as the spoiler to keep the Wasps out of postseason play. The matchup will mark the final match for Park City’s seniors, who close out their high school career on a bittersweet note. Still, they hope that Fisher has helped create a system they can build upon. "I accept it, but it is a disappointment and I would like it to be better, but I’m excited for the team next year," Sardo said. For now, the team is focusing on finishing the year well. Wednesday is senior night against the Wasps, and the Miners will bid farewell to Sardo, Whitney Watts, Carissa Fine, Jenny Hart, and Alli Dahl. A win could spoil the Wasps hopes for a playoff berth. The Miners host the Wasatch Wasps on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.


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