By Justin Adams | [email protected]

Usually when a new school is created, its sports teams take a few years to become competitive. That hasn’t been the case for Mountain Ridge, many of whose sports programs have achieved success from the get-go. In fact, the new school’s volleyball team had defeated cross-town rival Herriman in every meeting… until last month, that is.

Both Herriman and Mountain Ridge had impressive records going into the game. Each had only lost three games all season. However, Mountain Ridge had gotten the better of the Mustangs in their first matchup of the season on the Sentinels’ home court, three sets to one.

But behind a raucous home crowd of their own, it was Herriman who emerged victorious by the same 3-1 margin at the end of their Oct. 11 matchup.

In both that game and throughout the season, the Mustangs have been led by senior outside hitter Nana Asiata.

“Nana Asiata played ridiculous volleyball tonight. She was clearly the best volleyball player on the court,” said head coach Austin Linford.

That’s high praise coming from a coach, but praise that Asiata herself brushes aside.

“I think my whole team carried us tonight. It’s not really an individual sport, honestly,” she said, when told about her coach’s comment.

Another impact player for the Mustangs was freshman Victoria Valenti, who started the season playing on the sophomore team but has worked her way up to starting on varsity.

“Nothing phases her. She’s just tough. She was our best server tonight and our best passer,” Linford said.

The Mustangs are also still playing around with some tweaks to their lineup. In the game against Mountain Ridge, they switched their middle and right-side hitters to great success.

“We had a girl play right side who hadn’t done that before and she killed it, and that’s Emma Brewer,” Linford said .

With the team playing its best ball at the end of the season, coaches and players are confident they can make a run in the state tournament.

“We’re just going to try to go as far as we can,” Asiata said.

“If we can play like this, we feel like we can play with anyone in the state,” Linford said. 

The 2022 girls volleyball 6A tournament was scheduled to begin on Nov. 1, with first round games taking place at higher seeded teams’ home courts, with following rounds taking place at Utah Valley University Nov. 3-5.