Broadneck Reloads and Sets Sights on Another Title Run

With HS season set to start this week, it's time to take a look at some of the contenders for various local titles. We start in Anne Arundel County, where the defending champs are the Broadneck Bruins.   Broadneck: Broadneck lost in the State Championship to an extremely talented Richard Montgomery team, and is a favorite to be back in the mix for States again this year. Not a lot of teams can enjoy the Setter depth that Broadneck does, with Sidney Lawrence and [player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter'], who, with her Metro Travel team, finished 2nd in the country at USAV Nationals. Add to that one of the most explosive OH in the county in [player_tooltip player_id='834131' first='Kennedy' last='Smith'] and you see why they are a favorite. They graduated some talent out of the MB position, but have an incoming freshman who should see time on Varsity in [player_tooltip player_id='783307' first='Neely' last='Olish']. This is a deep freshman year for Broadneck as they have a set of twins coming in from Metro, Alexis and [player_tooltip player_id='747047' first='Ella' last='Luscomb'], who could also be impact players.    One of the top setters in Maryland, she runs a 6-2 system at both Broadneck and Metro Travel 16s. If that club team sounds familiar, it's because they finished 2nd in the country at USAV Nationals in July. Barrett has a great serve, fantastic hands, and plays some amazing defense out of the Setter spot, taking away line shots from the OH. It makes the Broadneck lineup especially hard to play.    Severn Run: This is a team looking to make a name for itself this year. Behind some great coaching, they've been developing some players and should be a contender in the county this year. Izzy Adcock is likely the best Middle in the county and will be a force on both offense and defense. OH [player_tooltip player_id='857977' first='Savannah' last='Smith'] is another one of the top hitters in the county and makes for a nasty 1-2 punch. Their JV team won the county mid-season tournament last year, and showed that they have players who will be up to contribute this year. Teams that don't take Severn Run seriously are going to learn the hard way really fast.    Izzy has been developing into a force over the past season. The strides she has made on the small nuances of the Middle position have made her one of the bigger weapons for MDJRS 16 Elite Black in her first year with the team. Her blocking skills are great, she's stopped some of the biggest hitters in the nation, and her quick arm speed has led to some highlight reel shots inside the 10-foot line, including one that was up for play of the tournament at NEQ.    Arundel: They are coming off a long run of being a dominant team in the area, with plenty of D1 prospects having come through the program. This year may be more of a transition year, but they still have some key players such as [player_tooltip player_id='809363' first='Bailey' last='Swinton'], and Kadey Zee, two of the best DS in the county, and a lot of veteran players to fill the roster out such as Spring Terry and Guiliana Leon at OH. It wouldn't be wise to count them out.    Kadey is an underrated DS that doesn't get the attention she deserves. She's one of the fastest players in the DMV, and has great range as a DS. She would be the starting Libero on a majority of teams, but has been stuck behind a couple of the best in the Region in [player_tooltip player_id='809363' first='Bailey' last='Swinton'] at Arundel, and [player_tooltip player_id='547072' first='Victoria' last='Small'] at MDJRS. Kadey is exactly the kind of overlooked prospect we aim to locate here.    Severna Park: This is a team you can never take lightly, even if you aren't sure which players to be afraid of, the team as a whole will always put up a fight and be competitive, a sign of good coaching. They also have some very solid Setters in [player_tooltip player_id='849600' first='Jennifer' last='Hong'] and [player_tooltip player_id='525341' first='Genevieve' last='Willis'], and good setters have a way of keeping teams in games. They have an incoming freshman, Hannah McKinstry, who could be a big-time player for them. Another team that's going to be in the fight for the county title.    Good hands, tall enough to play at the net, plays solid defense and loads of experience, going into Senior year here at Severna Park and for a talented CVA team. One of the top tier of setters in MD, and it's a good, thick class to be a part of. It's rare to see teams where there strength starts at Setter and radiates out, but this is one of them, it makes them interesting to watch and impossible to count out.    Crofton: Crofton has two of the best pin hitters in the county in [player_tooltip player_id='836207' first='Miley' last='Keyes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='857984' first='Vivian' last='Sopha'], both just entering their second season. They also may have the 2nd best Middle in the county in Megan Lasek, who can be a force both offensively and defensively. At DS, they lost some big-time seniors that are going to leave a hole to fill, but have a couple of talented Juniors ready to shine, in [player_tooltip player_id='850109' first='Olivia' last='Pritchard'] and Arianna Duru, and Senior leader Shannon Taylor. No team is going to do much without a setter to bridge these two areas, and Crofton has one in right in that top group of setters already mentioned in [player_tooltip player_id='800356' first='Ella' last='Strain'], who can set all three spots in multiple tempos, and brings the defense of a former Libero.    Ella is a small Setter at 5'3, which means playing at the net is not going to be her strength, but that doesn't make her any less of a setter. But some people have a height bias to the position or are just really married to a tall setter in a 5-1. She is a former Libero, which means she's got much better defense than most Setters, and can be used in different ways like taking the deep line away from OH, playing hard-hitting RS, or covering tips and deflections. Her serving is quite a weapon with a nasty float serve, and even though she's got great hands, the best part of her setting is probably the fact that it's unreadable where she is going to go with the ball. She can set all three positions and the back row, and can do it in multiple tempos.

With HS season set to start this week, it's time to take a look at some of the contenders for various local titles. We start in Anne Arundel County, where the defending champs are the Broadneck Bruins.