By mid-April, four games into the region portion of the season, the Murray boys volleyball team was leading the way with an undefeated mark in league play. 

The Spartans’ good play shouldn’t be a surprise, as the team was second in Region 10 a year ago with a 9-3 record in the first year of boys volleyball being a sanctioned sport. As of April 12, Murray had an overall mark of 7-4. 

Though the Spartans’ success in starting off Region 10 action with a 4-0 record was a true team effort, setter Daniel Haskell stood taller. The junior made progress from last season and has emerged as a leader for Murray. 

“[Haskell] is a rare combination of fierce competitor and humble leader,” head coach Allan Mount said. “He’s exactly the type of setter any coach does to have running their offense. In addition to the assists he nets for the team, he is also our most consistent server and second on the team in digs—and all as a first-year junior setter. We’re lucky to have him.”

Haskell joined the boys volleyball team almost by accident. 

During his freshman year in school, Haskell wanted to try out for the basketball team. He had played the sport for years and wanted to be a part of the Spartan program. However, an injury prevented him from trying out. Once the winter sports season ended and the spring season arrived, Haskell’s injury had healed, so he decided to give volleyball a try. A close friend of his already played volleyball, so it made sense to join the team. 

Mount is happy he did, and Haskell has grown to love the game. 

“I love competing because of the feeling you get during a competitive point or long rally,” he said. “I love the satisfaction of competing at a high level with intensity; even when it’s not a winning outcome, it is still so fun.”

The sport is enjoyable for Haskell, and he looks forward to competing every time he steps onto the court. But what truly means the most to him is being a part of a tight-knit Spartans team. He appreciates the leadership on the team and the examples the older players have set.

“My favorite part about our program at Murray is how close all of the guys are,” he said. “Lots of the seniors this year are the friends that built the program when it was still a club, and it really feels like a family, on and off the court.”

The position of setter is a critical one in volleyball. If Haskell doesn’t do his job effectively, his teammates can’t do theirs. Haskell prides himself in knowing his role and in being able to outsmart the opposition. 

“As a setter I always try to work on being deceptive and hiding my set for as long as possible,” he said.

But Haskell isn’t complacent. He wants to get better and help his team capture a region title and be a factor in the Class 4A state tournament. 

“Individually, I want to be able to have a bigger presence as a setter in the front row, especially in terms of blocking,” he said. “As a team, our goal for this year had been to achieve first in region and go further in the state tournament than last year.”

The season started off slowly for Murray, as the Spartans dropped their first two matches and were 1-3 after four outings. Heading into region play, Murray was 3-4. However, Murray started off the Region 10 slate in dominant fashion. Murray defeated Hillcrest, Park City and Cottonwood, each in straight sets, 3-0. On March 27, Murray took care of Stansbury 3-1. 

Early on, the Spartans fell behind in some matches and got frustrated. Shaking off those struggles hasn’t been easy, but Haskell said he and his teammates have learned from these setbacks and are eager to continue improving as the season winds down. 

“For me and our team this year, one of the most challenging aspects has been pulling ourselves out of holes when we get down,” he said. “We learned how to do this in the preseason with some tough losses. That significantly benefited our ability to do this in region play.”

The Spartans wrap up the regular season April 29 with a road match at Park City. The 4A state tournament will be May 7 and 8 at Utah Valley University. Last season, Murray was seeded 10th and won a first-round match over Mountain Crest before falling in the second round to Sky View. Murray then defeated Desert Hills in the consolation bracket before ending the season with a loss to Provo. 

Haskell’s plans after high school include learning a trade, possibly serving a church mission and continuing his volleyball career—albeit a bit differently. 

“After high school, I want to look into trade school doing electrical work,” he said. “I am also thinking about serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As far as volleyball, I really enjoy beach volleyball and want to focus more on that after high school.” λ