The Cyprus girls volleyball team has had an amazing season that no one expected. Past volleyball seasons have resulted in very few wins but this season changed how people view the team. In previous years the team wasn’t looked at in a positive light but, with a complete turnaround in the program, people began to realize they are much better than they seem. According to Maxpreps.com, Cyprus girls volleyball ranked 89 in state and 21 in state division 5A. The Cyprus volleyball team hasn’t made it past 100 in state since 2012. This year the girls have won over half their games in comparison to previous years with only a couple victories. 

Head coach Centennial Toleafoa says, “We practiced hard and trained our minds that we will take one step at a time and one game at a time.” This year is Toleafoa’s first year as a head coach and has really proven herself by taking the girls further than they ever have before. Making it to state is a huge accomplishment especially since the team was able to host the first round of playoffs at Cyprus which hasn’t happened before. Toleafoa also mentions, “ I was tough on them, but I was also vulnerable with them.” She was able to find that balance with coaching the girls but also letting them know that she values them and built a strong connection within the team. Although the juniors and seniors on the team have had four different head coaches, they’ve shown that teams can change and be better than before.

With the volleyball season at its end, team captain Dyanna Parra states, “I feel like we could’ve pushed ourselves a little more and relied on each other more.” While the team did have a record breaking season some girls felt as though they could have placed even higher. State is a big deal and with that comes a lot of emotions mixed with adrenaline and can often mess people up on big days. However, the girls were able to put up a fight their whole season especially during their games at Utah Valley University. They managed to fight through a set with a score of 34-32 and had so many people watching. A coach from Alta’s girls volleyball team called the Cyprus team a ‘sports Cinderella story’ for being the underdogs that came to put up a fight and the Cyprus team has left a lot of people talking. Assistant coach Jenille Amitoelau mentioned, “A lot of people have been talking about our social media, record, morale and culture completely changing in just one year.” The coaching staff really instilled a great hard working mindset within their team and that taught the team how to balance their emotions out whether they were winning or losing. Emotions and body language can really affect how you play but the girls on the team knew how to flip that switch to keep pushing rather than giving up on each other. 

The volleyball team has never really been looked at in a positive way due to their records but the change in mentality within the girls has changed other people’s mentalities as well. Toleafoa says, “ I had a feeling there wasn’t a lot of support before due to the team's stats. So, to know that the whole school was behind us supporting my girls was a great feeling!” Cyprus’ volleyball team showed that even without a ton of support you can still achieve your goals and make something great. The team dealt with a few losses but did not let that stop them from reaching their goal of making it to state.

With the team leaving behind an amazing season, they leave some pretty high expectations for their next season in fall 2024-2025