Meadville boys' volleyball looks to avenge last season's loss in PIAA finals
· Yahoo Sports
Over the last eight years, Meadville boys’ volleyball has been one of the most dominant programs in Pennsylvania.
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Since Nick Bancroft took over in 2019, the Bulldogs have posted an unfathomable 131-4 regular season record en route to six District-10 titles. In the PIAA playoffs, Meadville has won 61 of its 79 sets and won two state titles in five appearances.
Today’s match will be the Bulldogs’ third consecutive state title appearance and sixth overall. And even though their accomplishments run like a laundry list, and even though they have swept all three opponents this PIAA postseason, Bancroft and his team are arguably more motivated than ever to get back to the top.
“They still have that sting, I think,” Bancroft said, “I mean, I do. I still have the sting, and I think we carry that over.”
That sting stems from last year’s 3-1 loss to Manheim Central in the state championship, which Meadville defeated in 2024 for its second PIAA title.
Set on preventing history from repeating itself, Bancroft has pushed his team to the limit in preparation for its trip back to Rec Hall.
“We’re playing to win,” he said. “We’re not playing to just survive.
“I think maybe last year’s mentality of we had won in 2024, and we just need to get back there, and we’re going to do it again playing the same team – I don’t know. I just felt like we didn’t put forth that grind.”
Bancroft continued, “But yesterday’s practice, it was hot, and it was sweaty, and it was a tough practice, and they responded well. They bought into everything we did. We ran there for an hour and a half, and it was one of the best practices we’ve had.”
Undoubtedly, MASH is tuned in at a 10 for today’s match with a third PIAA title on the line. But on the other side of the net is a familiar opponent, York Suburban, carrying its own motivation.
The Bulldogs beat the Trojans 3-2 in 2019 for their first state title. In 2021, Meadville advanced past York Suburban 3-1 in the state semifinals. Now, after also sweeping its first three opponents, York Suburban (20-1) has a chance to avenge those previous two losses.
Knowing this, Bancroft doesn’t want his team to take any chances.
“(My players) don’t want to lose,” he said. “They don’t want to leave anything up to chance. ... We talk all the time, ‘We want to win every single point.’ I know it’s not possible to win every single point, but ... we don’t want to give anybody a chance.”
Meadville boys’ volleyball has been a consistent title contender since Bancroft took over seven years ago. Winner and contender are two different things, though, as Bancroft pointed out numerous times. For as much success as the Bulldogs have had over the last eight seasons, they’ve also experienced heartbreak right at the end of the road.
Two state titles are outflanked by three state title losses. Meadville has a chance to even that score today, and Bancroft feels his team is prepared to lay it all out on the line.
“Now they have the taste of what a gold and a silver taste like – the difference there,” Bancroft said. “And I think they are right now prepared to do everything they can to end up on top.”