MUNCIE, Ind. — For much of Cowan volleyball’s 2020 season, coach Melissa-Paul Gardner felt scared.
Sure, the Blackhawks were winning. They were, at least on paper, setting themselves up for a chance to repeat as the Class A state champions. But throughout the year, they weren’t playing with the level of intensity Gardner was looking for, even in five-set matches. And to Gardner, it was as if “we’ve just kind of been OK with losing a couple sets, because in the end we know we’re going to work hard just to win because that’s just what we’ve done in the past.