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In 2023, Broadneck’s volleyball team loved winning games, and they won a lot of them. But the love to win has been replaced by an even stronger emotion.
The 2024 Bruins already hate to lose.
Broadneck closed the 2023 regular season with an 11-1 record, losing only to perennial power Arundel, but the season ended far too abruptly for anyone’s tastes. The Bruins lost three of their last five matches and exited the postseason after losing their best player to injury.
In 2024, they return 11 players from last season’s county and region finalist, including five starters. With so much experience returning, they’re drawing on the past to drive themselves even further this time around. Injuries, setbacks, successes, wins, losses — all of it is now fuel.
“I think no matter what happens, or what happened in the past, we're moving on from it and building up our positivity. I feel like we're prepared for anything to come in this season,” said junior outside hitter Anna Graves. “It creates and builds connections with each other. We have so much trust in each other, and it makes us feel like we're all together no matter what.”
Having been put on the deck multiple times at the end of last season, Broadneck adopted a fighter’s mantra. Each year, they pick a theme. In 2024, it’s a line originating from “Rocky V” and popularized in “South Park” — “I Didn’t Hear No Bell.”
“We always have a mantra and we're going for it. Never quit. Never let a ball hit the floor. We're never giving up until we're told to, and even then, we'll be fighting,” said middle blocker Amanda Protzman, one of three seniors on the 2024 team. “Watching volleyball in the Olympics — the mentality is exactly right. We want to never give up, always fight, always pushing forward.”
With so many people pulling in the same direction, and so much experience returning, the Bruins have been able to add more into their offense and make things more difficult for opposing defenses.
That makes the game far more flexible and fluid for junior setter Sydney Lawrence, who can facilitate to four other players at any time to create a multifaceted attack. That represents a departure from last season, where do-everything Brin Chesnut carried huge chunks of offense.
"It feels great to know that wherever I put the ball, someone's going to be there to put it away. I have such a connection with my hitters that I know no matter where it goes, there's a great chance for it to be a kill,” Lawrence said. “I don't have to force a ball to a certain player all the time; I can go anywhere I want to. Trying to pull the block is important to us. Trying to hold the middle with me as long as possible and trying to confuse them and run a faster offense is important.”
Other returning players with varsity experience include seniors Addison Sladke and Julia Rubino; juniors Chloe Richie, Kennedy Smith and Addison Britton; and sophomores Marley Evans, Chloe Hays and Barrett Bolter.
That much experience, combined with the unrelenting belief and determination sharpened through a quick-burst bout with adversity, has the coaching staff feeling bullish about the Bruins’ chances in 2024.
“From the start, when we asked how we feel about this season, it's been, ‘We're not losing,’” said Broadneck coach Tracey Realbuto. “There hasn't been a, ‘We're going to win it all.’ It's just, ‘We're not losing.’ That's a good mentality to have.
“These girls are determined to make it to states this year, and that's the end goal,” Realbuto said. “We feel like we have a competitive six on each side when we do practice, so that's good. They're pretty confident going in. They've been starting for two years now, so we're excited to see what it looks like.
Up the road, Severna Park is gearing up for another season in which they return plenty of experience but also must replace their two most impactful players.
The Falcons graduated leading attacker and blocker Perry Stevenson, now at Canisius University, and libero Annabelle Mora. But they return seven players from last season’s squad, including second-leading attacker Lizzie Ranaghan, second-leading blocker Stella Kiddney, third-leading blocker and second-most efficient attacker Courtlynn Edwards, as well as setters Jennifer Hong and Genevieve Willis. Defensive specialist Kathryn Rojek and outside hitter Margaret Morgan also return with experience.
Though they return experience, Severna Park is in the second year of a youth movement within the program. Of the 16 varsity players, only two — Edwards and right-side attacker Maeve Byrne — are seniors.
The youthful Falcons also have a new voice at the head of the program, as Caitlin Mills takes over for longtime coach Tim Dunbar.
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