Competing in a tournament against the top teams in state, Bingham’s girls’ volleyball team has a moment of awakening; their stamina and synergy fills the court as they realize what it really means to play as a team. Standing on the sidelines with tears running down their faces is just one of many memorable moments these Miners have experienced throughout this season.

A typical day on Bingham’s volleyball team consists of several orthodox routines for athletes that ensure good performance: a healthy diet with adequate nutrition, a stable sleep schedule, and plenty of exercise. They show up early to their three hour practices to help set up the nets, then they get on to conditioning. They soothe their post-workout muscles and wobbly legs with frigid ice baths. 

When games come around, the team will do scrimmages together to prepare. As most of these habits are to be expected from athletes, something not-so-typical from this close-knit group is the way they get into “the zone” for their games.

From making Tik-Toks to having motivational group huddles, this team focuses most on team-building to create a care-free, yet focused, environment for themselves, especially around game times. 

Nikki Monds, a senior on the varsity team, said, “I’ve talked to people, like on other teams, and they say that… our team has some of the closest relationships out of all the other teams that they’ve seen. Like, my best friend is on the team… we’re all really close and hang out all the time.” 

These girls have created admirable relationships between themselves and their teammates that have allowed their sport to be that much more enjoyable for them. This team bonding proved effective throughout their last tournament.

When it comes to memorable moments from this season, the team’s Wasatch varsity tournament back in October cannot be overlooked. Going up against teams that were top-in-state, including Lone Peak, the winners of this year’s state championship, the team turned into a powerhouse of synergy. Tuning into a headspace where they were all thinking and moving as one united team made this tournament very special to them. This allowed them to execute the way they did. Without their time and dedication to building harmony amongst themselves, their performance would likely have been much different.

Alisha Butterfield, a middle starter on the varsity team, explained her thoughts on the importance of the teams’ friendships. 

“If you’re best friends and you get to know each other, you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so you can help each other that way,” said Butterfield, “Volleyball is a really, like, team sport… you can’t win by yourself, you know?” 

As Alisha explains, you can’t really work as a unit if you don’t even care for each other. These girls really stand together in how much they love this team environment.

As the girls’ volleyball season rounds up to a close, Bingham’s team is reflecting on the wins, the losses, and most importantly, the bonding moments they’ve had together this year. This mighty group of Miners truly puts their hearts into representing Bingham and their passions for volleyball.