Crystal Springs takes control atop WBAL Skyline Division

Now at the midway point of its WBAL slate, Crystal Springs (5-0 WBAL Skyline, 15-3 overall) is sitting all alone in first place. And Thursday’s 25-16, 25-13, 25-15 sweep of the King’s Academy (3-2 WBAL Skyline) showed just how the Gryphons — now with six seniors and eight juniors on roster — benefitted from the youth movement of 2016 and ’17 when the fielded vastly majority underclassman squads.

“We’re a team of just seniors and juniors, and when we started out we were just a team of freshmen and sophomores,” Lockton said. “We’ve been together for so long, we’ve just formed this chemistry and bond off the court, and on the court. And it’s translating really well.”

Lockton has something to prove this season. Last year, she missed the last three weeks due to injury, including the Gryphons’ one-and-done appearance in the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs.

The senior outside hitter proved a steadying presence Thursday as the Gryphons showed up on their home court appearing as lackadaisical as they have all season. Committing five early errors, TKA jumped out to an 8-3 lead in Game 1, then improved on the margin at 13-6.

“I think sometimes that’s sort of what it takes for our team to turn it around,” Lockton said. “And often that’s what happens. Because as soon as we feel like we have momentum, regardless of the score, if we get a couple points in a row, usually everything just flows together.”

After a side-out on a kill by middle hitter Hilary Linden, Lockton seized that momentum, stepping to the service line and leading Crystal Springs on a 9-0 run to take the lead. Totaling four aces in the match, Lockton scored three of them on that eight-point service run. She also went on to record a match-high eight kills.

“Everybody loves a kill,” Crystal Springs head coach James Spray said. “So, when she can get a kill, it just brings it all up. And it’s comforting just to be able to see her play all the way around.”

Lockton, though, didn’t notch her first match kill until she scored set point in Game 1, tooling the block with a majestic back-row bolt.

Spray was keen to highlight the many dynamic components to his lineup, which was on display amid the 9-0 comeback. After a Lockton ace made it 13-8, junior outside hitter Morgan Cortina scored with an impressive roll shot. Lockton picked up another ace and junior defensive specialist Sophia Tabucao scored from the back row to close the deficit to 13-11.

Linden later tied it 13-13, drilling a kill off middle through the heart of the TKA defense. Lockton then fittingly gave her team the lead with her third ace of the set.

“They were kind of overthinking it a little bit in the beginning,” Spray said. “They really want to push themselves to have a strong season. They know, basically with every league game, we get closer to that goal of winning the league. And they’re playing a little tight. We’ve had that in a few matches. But today was … a little more arduous than normal.”

The serving prowess was contagious in Game 2 as Crystal Springs scored six aces in the set, three from Cortina. The junior added three of her four match kills in the set.

Then in Game 3 the Gryphons went on an early 6-0 run with Lockton really getting heated up from the left side, capping the play of the match to start the run when senior libero Coco Sladewski came flying in from the back row to pick up a bolt off the left pin by TKA. Amazingly, Sladewski placed the ball right at the hands of junior setter Gianna Perez, who connected with Lockton for an in-system long cross-court bomb.

“I think because [Sladewski] is so good, that we expect every ball that comes over, no matter how hard it seems, everyone is still involved in the play because they know that crazy stuff can happen,” Lockton said, “and so you just keep with it,”

Perez has developed into a quality setter on the fly. She’s a natural defender, but the Gryphons needed someone to run the offense, and the junior stepped up to run the 5-1 formation, the first time in recent memory the team has relied on a single setter.

“She’s actually an incredible [defensive specialist] but she’s got great hands; the ball comes up clean,” Spray said. “But we try to keep it as simple as possible just because … at the beginning it was tough for her that, if we miss on a good set, it’s not her fault.

“Now, she’s more confident and she spreads the ball around a lot more. … It’s just kind of like an attrition thing with her. She’s had to learn on the fly because we’ve never really run a 5-1.”

That 5-1 offense now has the Gryphons sitting pretty with a 5-0 record in WBAL Skyline play with one more round through league play to go.

“We’re 5-0, so we’re halfway to the goal,” Spray said. “I think, for us, it was a good statement for us because now we have to go on the road for four of the next five for league. So, that is going to be a tough one.”