Be awesome: Orem, Mountain View stay mentally strong on Day 1 of 4A volleyball
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- Mountain View’s Jaycee Carlson (32) takes a swing against Mountain Crest in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- The Orem girls volleyball team celebrates an ace serve in a 4A state tournament second round match against Uintah at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem girls volleyball coach Bill Sefita (in blue) reacts during a 4A state tournament match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem’s Nicole Webb (18) and Madi Scott block an attack from Uintah in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- The Mountain View girls volleyball team celebrates a point during a match in the 4A state tournament at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Players on the Mountain View bench celebrate a point during a 4A girls volleyball state second round match against Mountain Crest at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Twin sisters Sarah (5) and Scarlett Page prepare for a serve during the 4A girls volleyball state tournament at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem’s Madi Scott serves the ball against Uintah in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem’s Reyn Fuller (12) and Callie Eudis throw up a block against Uintah in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Mountain View’s Keilani Wesley serves the ball in a 4A girls volleyball state tournament second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Mountain View’s Steph Martos (5) rises up for a block against Mountain Crest in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Mountain View’s Keilani Wesley passes the ball in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem’s Ashley Scott serves the ball against Uintah in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Players on the Orem bench react during a 4A second round state tournament match against Uintah at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
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- Orem’s Nicole Webb (18) takes a swing against Uintah in a 4A girls volleyball state second round match at the UCCU Center on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
After Mountain View’s sweep of Mountain Crest in the second round of the 4A girls volleyball tournament on Monday, Bruins coach Zach Richardson gathered his team around him in the catacombs of the UCCU Center.
“Two claps for for the win!”
“Two claps for being scrappy!”
“Two claps for hitting high and hard!”
Each time, his players responded. After a few comments about the upcoming quarterfinal opponent, Richardson added, “Two claps for being awesome!”
Mountain View, the No. 4 seed, was pretty awesome in dispatching the Mustangs and earning an opportunity to advance in the tournament, where city rival Orem is the No. 1 seed at the favorite and a possible semifinal opponent.
Winning the state tournament? That’s all about being awesome, too.
“Our coach always says ‘All in on the six on the floor,'” Mountain View senior Jaycee Carlson said. “We come in together, we reset together and we lock in together.”
The Bruins have fashioned a 21-7 record in 2025, relying on the leadership and hitting of Carlson, senior setter Elle Richardson and junior outside hitter Keilani Wesley.
“We know we can do it together,” Carlson said. “We know we can rely on each other and feel like when we’re locked in, nothing can stop us. There’s a lot of pressure (at the state tournament) but that makes us better and makes the things we do better.”
The emotional roller coaster of a two-day, four-match tournament can be overwhelming, but Carlson believes her team is ready for the grind.
“Our teams in the past have been kind of up and down with momentum,” she said. “I feel our team this year, we just play on a high. There aren’t any lows. It’s just so fun because every single point there’s an amazing play that can celebrate.”
Orem, which finished 25-3 in the regular season, dispatched Region 8 foe Uintah in three sets for the third time this season.
Head coach Bill Sefita, who is a social worker, utilizes his experience to provide stability for his team as they push for their third straight state 4A title.
“I think we’ve done a really good job all season to prepare ourselves mentally and physically,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of mind work. Every day in practice we talk about how important it is.
I tell them ‘Where the mind leads, the body follows.'”
Seniors Sarah and Scarlett Page and Ashley Scott are looking forward to reaching a third straight championship.
“It’s really competitive at state,” Scott said. “We do a lot of bonding activities, so we’re really close. We know each other as friends and teammates. We’ve played pickleball, we’ve hiked the ‘Y,’ we go out to eat and just hang out together. We just need to play confidently and remember all of our skills. We’ve trained for this. We just need to trust our abilities.”
Sefita said, “One of our favorite quotes is, ‘With good teams, coaches hold them accountable. With great teams, players hold themselves accountable.’ How do we put away the ‘me’ and bring out the ‘we?’
“For me, there’s something about having the kiddos play for their high school, playing for the kids they see every day at school, playing for their fan base. And it’s for the parents. It gives back to them for all the time investment they make.”
The 4A Tournament competed in second round and quarterfinal matches on Monday. The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. With the championship match at 7 p.m.
