Maple Mountain’s Pratt sisters fueling early-season success
SPANISH FORK, Utah (BVM) – Maple Mountain High School volleyball doesn’t exactly have a sparkling recent history of success, but it certainly appears to be on its way.
Just ask the Golden Eagles’ head coach, Amanda Petersen.
“It takes a few years to build a program like this, it’s been a long time coming for us,” Petersen said.
In 2017, a year before Petersen took over as head coach, Maple Mountain finished 4-17 and was swept in seven of its losses. The Golden Eagles fared similarly in 2018 for Petersen’s debut season, stumbling to a 4-11 mark. Petersen led Maple Mountain to 21 wins a year ago, and has since led a 6-1 start to begin a season that could vanish at any point.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and the continuation of the fall sports season, the third-year head coach said her team hasn’t flinched.
“My girls have worked really hard to get to this season and they just keep getting told it’s not guaranteed, that it could all be taken away at any point,” Petersen said. “Fortunately, I have a team of mentally-tough champions. Instead of being scared, they’ve used this chaos to fuel them to play harder and give more at every game.
“They refuse to give up or let up because any game could be their last; it’s motivating and inspiring.”
The Golden Eagles’ mental toughness was on full display over the weekend as they secured a Union Classic championship, but so was their talented freshman duo.
Marly Pratt is a defensive specialist who recorded 75 total digs and passed a 2.1 in the Union Classic tournament. The freshman followed that up with 54 digs and passed a 2.6, a near perfect game, during a Tuesday night win over No. 12 Uintah.
“Marly is a phenomenon,” Petersen said. “Marly sees everything and is so good at reading other teams; she would rather die than let a ball hit the floor.”
It’s rare to have a freshman as smart as Pratt on the court, and the Golden Eagles have two. Pratt’s twin sister, Morgan, is just as incredible of an athlete, Petersen said.
Morgan sets backrow, hits front row and compiled 20 kills to go along with 28 assists on Tuesday night.
“Morgan is a two-edged sword and can’t be stopped,” Petersen said. “As athletes, they’re (Marly and Morgan) incredible but they also bring so much more to our team. They are hilarious, goofy, intense and so fun.
“That intensity and hustle motivates a lot of my other athletes to play as hard as they do; they elevate the whole team. It’s an honor to coach them.”
Maple Mountain is ranked as the No. 11 team in Utah by MaxPreps, and that’s not due solely to its twin tandem.
Senior Naomi Memmott is a three-year varsity starter who had 13 kills on Tuesday night and is a force in the middle of Petersen’s offense.
“(Memmott is) one of those you put in the lineup and never worry that she’ll do her job,” Petersen said. “She’s such a consistent player and asset to my defense. It’s also not very common to have middles as active as mine.”
Then there’s sophomore Gracie Keisel who “has this amazing ability to find holes in other teams’ blocks and smash the ball through.” Starting off the season as a right side, Keisel was moved to outside after a strong start and has continued to shine.
As talented as the Golden Eagles are, they’ll be even better upon the return of Jettlee Loane. The sophomore libero broke her wrist in the season’s opening week and has a few more weeks before she’s back on the court, but she started in more than half of Maple Mountain’s games as a freshman.
“She’ll be a defensive force to be reckoned with,” Petersen said. “We can’t wait until she’s back so our defense is just unstoppable.”
It’s scary to think about a much-improved version of this Golden Eagles squad, but it’s a welcomed possibility for a program primed for a special season.
“In girls sports, it’s common to see emotions and mental defeat get the best of a lot of athletes; my team refuses to do that,” Petersen said. “They’ll find a way to outlast and out-hustle everyone else in the gym no matter the circumstances.”
