Centennial High might boast the best girls volleyball team in the Baltimore region, as the Eagles work toward a third straight Class 3A state title and their state-record 13th overall.
But before Centennial can do that, it must get through the always-tough Howard County schedule, one that includes arguably six of the region?s top dozen teams. The Eagles can vouch for that firsthand, especially after they needed five games to knock off Reservoir ? 25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 15-10 ? last Monday.
“People don?t understand how difficult this schedule is until they experience it firsthand,” Centennial coach Jerry Hulla said.
Reservoir coach Carole Ferrante echoes this sentiment. Her Gators were 5-1 through six matches and are coming off a 13-5 season, when they reached the 2A South Region semifinals before losing to Calvert.
“This county is very deep and very competitive,” said Ferrante, whose team also owns a win over Harford County power Bel Air. “The definite upside to playing in Howard County is that it gets you ready for the playoffs. If you want to be taken seriously and want to get better, this county is the place to play.”
The balance among the upper echelon in Howard County can be seen in the early-season county records. Through Sunday, River Hill, Centennial and defending Class 2A state champion Glenelg were all tied at 3-0, while Reservoir was 2-1 in league play. Hulla said even Marriotts Ridge, which has no seniors and is in its first year of varsity play, could compete for a state title at the 1A level.
Glenelg coach Don Beall said the depth and talent in Howard County can be traced to the large presence of clubs and youth programs in the area.
“We do have a lot of players that come in as freshman with a lot of experience, but we also have our share of players who have never played until ninth grade and turn out just fine,” he said.
Ferrante said the lone downside to playing such tough competition in league play is that it can often lead to having a few more losses on your record. This impacted her team a year ago, as the Gators ended up with the 12th seed in the playoffs and had to go on the road for each match. (The regional playoffs only seed the top four teams, with the rest being placed into a blind draw.) Still, she wouldn?t want to play an easy slate of matches just to pad her team?s record.
“Playing a high level of competition each time out will only help you get better,” she said.
