Crofton volleyball coach Greg LeGrand mulled over his incoming roster during the summer and compared it to his schedule. It was clear the Cardinals, restocked with freshmen and sophomores, would “take some lumps early,” and his prediction proved right. Crofton lost early matches to Severna Park, Arundel, Broadneck and Old Mill.
“But if we could go 7-7, 8-6, that would be a pretty good indicator we we’re going to be pretty good at the end,” LeGrand said. “I kept preaching to them: ‘Keep grinding. Don’t worry about the wins and losses. We’re treating these games like scrimmages trying to get better and better.’ And I think we’re starting to get pretty good.”
Seasoned by a strength of schedule and a general incline toward more and more success against top teams, the Cardinals walked into Meade’s gym on Wednesday and swept the Mustangs, 25-14, 25-17, 24-12 to claim the 4A East Region I crown.
They’ll now be reseeded into state quarterfinals, which begin Friday.
Immediately, it was clear Crofton’s well-spread firepower was its strength. Its early attacks backed Meade into a 9-3 ditch in the first set.
But to LeGrand, the brightest sign that his Cardinals (9-7) were trending in the right direction was not offense, but defense. Meade collected points from hitters like senior Zyon Austin in the first set but when the two traded long volleys – often — the Mustangs rarely beat Crofton to the point.
During Tuesday’s practice, Crofton coaches spent three minutes pelting free balls to their players. Every time a mistake occurred, LeGrand chucked in another one. He didn’t want them to be afraid to swing.
“It’s been getting them used to the ball over,” he said. “If you look at us in the beginning of the season, there were so many unforced errors. We’ve really been working on it a lot, just adding tricks to the tool bag they can use and playing much more soundly defensively.”
The Mustangs were hitting, allowing them to veer within a handful of points once in each set. Comparatively, nearly every Cardinals point followed a volleyball slamming the court or spinning off Meade hands into the void. A six-point streak sent Crofton to 20 points, and even as Meade’s blocking improved, it only slowed what was going to happen — a 25-14 first-set triumph for the visitors.
Crofton’s rampage only accelerated in the second frame, and while the constant missiles rocketing from the visiting side could not be contained to one hitter, middle hitter Megan Lasek’s contributions stood a cut above — quite literally — as the junior sprang up to pepper several kills and blocks in the first half before passing the torch to senior Addison Matsui.
“We’ve gone games where Addi only gets four swings. She doesn’t get chances but our passing is getting better, so she’s starting to,” LeGrand said. “And Megan is so explosive. She’s gained so many different tricks and she can get off the ground so quick, she’s a handful for people in the middle.”
Only a week ago, an injured foot encased in a boot prevented her from making those sort of plays, let alone playing. She’d only just dipped her toes into practice recently.
“Honestly,” Lasek said, “I just really wanted to win.”
Just as Crofton approached victory, Meade snapped back to life. The Mustangs’ front line shut a gate on their net, taking the Cardinals’ easier attacks out of their arsenal. Crofton became increasingly entangled in its own mistakes, too. The Mustangs cheerfully zoomed within Crofton’s sights — until freshman Vivien Sopha drilled her kill onto their front court to close a 25-17 set.
A similar slide struck Crofton in the third set. The Cardinals dominated Meade including a 12-point run that put them up, 21-6. But the Mustangs slashed the margin with six points.
Granted, with a lead that comfortable, LeGrand had cycled in some of his players that don’t see as much time in an effort to thank them for hard work. But it’s not out of character for this Crofton team that led teams in the 20-point range and lost nine times this fall.
“That’s something we’re trying to talk about – staying at a level seven, instead of five or 10,” LeGrand said. “Sometimes, we’re at a 10 and we get giddy and make mistakes. So we’re really working on staying at a seven intensity-wise, and I think they ultimately are doing that well.”
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