Before the season started, Broadneck girls volleyball looked at this year as a time to grow and see what they were made of. Saturday night, they learned they had some work to do.
The Bruins (16-4) ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Montgomery County’s Richard Montgomery. The Rockets (24-1), the defending Class 4A state champions, used a powerful lineup and an experienced roster to defeat Broadneck, 25-19, 25-9, 25-17, in the state final at Harford Community College.
Try as they might, Broadneck just couldn’t get it going against Richard Montgomery. The Rockets used the height of 5-foot-11 Corinne Howard, 6-foot Ema Djordjevic, and 6-2 Katie Mitchell to impose their will offensively.
“There’s only one team that gets to walk away smiling after a match, and obviously it wasn’t us tonight,” Bruins coach Tracey Regalbuto said. “I said before this match that the only way that we would win is if we play amazing. I knew what this team was. They are a better team. Hopefully we’ll be back.”
Broadneck fell behind right away in the first set, and the Bruins never recovered. The Rockets, behind powerful kills from Howard and Amy Ye, ran out to a 13-5 lead before the Bruins could come up for air. The Bruins used a ace from Anna Graves and kills by Kennedy Smith and Sydney Lawrence to cut into the margin a little, but the Rockets used a serving run by Mitchell to go on a 4-0 spurt and take a 19-10 lead. Broadneck never got closer than six before dropping the set, 25-19.
The second set was even worse. With a quick pace, the Rockets’ offense hit on all cylinders while the Bruins struggled again. Of the 34 points scored in the set, 25 of them went to Richard Montgomery. The Bruins struggled with their offense and were sending very returnable balls over the net before dropping the set, 25-9, and giving the Rockets a 2-0 lead.
“I’m not going to take away anything from their team, but we couldn’t get back in system and sent them 7,000 free balls that they got to have fun putting away,” she said. “Any team getting that many free balls is going to win.”
Broadneck fought back in the third set. After a kill by Graves, Broadneck appeared to have some momentum and trailed 18-13. But after trading points to make it 20-15, the Rockets got kills from Catie Chung and Bella Brennen to run the lead to 22-15. They won the match on a kill by Djordjevic, 25-17.
“There’s a feeling on a volleyball court of when it’s your night and when it’s not your night,” Regalbuto said. “Balls tricking over the net. I just felt like it was not our night. It’s a little bit frustrating.”
For the Rockets, the win was a feeling of vindication for their program.
“There is no greater feeling than this. Watching these girls win two state championships back-to-back,” coach Gretchen Barber-Strunk said. “They’ve worked so hard since their freshman year, and this is family. They showed up and they showed out today.”
For Broadneck, the future isn’t all doom and gloom. The junior-dominated team graduates three seniors, so a great nucleus should return next season.
“The goal this season was to get as far as we could with the group we had. Obviously, everyone’s goal is to win states,” Regalbuto said. “To make it to the finals is a big deal. The takeaway from this is to maintain our drive and get back here next year, and to be more confident.”