Meadville boys' volleyball begins journey for third state title
After claiming their third straight District 10 title on May 27, Meadville boys volleyball is set for another PIAA state playoff run.
Today will mark the Bulldogs' sixth PIAA appearance in the last seven years. Since head coach Nick Bancroft took over in 2019 - when the team won its first of three state titles - Meadville has made the state championship match five times. Such success has inevitably put a bullseye on the Bulldogs' backs.
But in preparing for today, Bancroft and his team will focus only on the next match, the task at hand.
"We've been ranked number one all season, had the bullseye on us," Bancroft said.
"We get a lot of people's best games, which is a good thing for us. So, you know, again, same thing, we just try to - not dumb it down - but just see what's in front of us and take one thing at a time."
In that tone, next for Meadville is the WPIAL third-place finisher, Seton LaSalle. Coincidentally, the Rebels were the first team that the Bancroft-led Bulldogs knocked off in 2019 en route to their first state championship.
As Meadville prepares for that 2019 rematch, Bancroft echoed the same message he often has before matches.
"We got to win the serving and pass game," he said. "That starts everything.
"And from there, we don't want to ever be outmatched by anybody in energy through defense. And so, if we can win those two parts of the game, I think everything else usually falls into place.
That approach to the game has worked well for Meadville, as it only lost four total sets during its perfect 16-0 season. One of those dropped sets came in the second of the D-10 title match against Saegertown, which the Bulldogs lost 25-21. But they responded in the next two sets, closing 25-14 and 25-17.
Seniors Luc Soerensen, Parker Gosnell and Tymir Phillips led the Bulldogs, as they have all season. Soerensen finished with 17 kills and 15 digs. Gosnell had 11 kills, and Phillips recorded nine kills and five blocks.
Bancroft relies on this type of production and approach from his nine seniors, especially during a season in which adversity was slim. And as the competition level ticks up a notch today, the expectation is that they'll come prepared as they have all year.
"It's the biggest class I've ever had," Bancroft said, "And they're a great group of athletes, and I think just the way they presented themselves this season has sort of showed like they're determined and ready to go.
"We're going to sorely miss them next year and, in the future, because they carried on the tradition that we set forward of working hard and putting the best step forward."
The Bulldogs' journey back to Rec Hall at Penn State University will begin tonight at 6 p.m. at Meadville High School. If Meadville were to advance, the quarterfinals would be Saturday. The tournament would then follow a similar format next week, with the semifinals beginning on Tuesday, June 9 and the championship match being Saturday, June 13.
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