Conroe’s volleyball team authored an impressive campaign in 2022, going 44-6, nationally ranked at one point, and winning its first playoff game since 1996.
But the program sought a new leader when head coach Charvette Brown stepped down from her post after 10 years at the helm.
Enter Keandra McCardell, a former star setter at Ridge Point High School, standout for the University of Houston, and Brown’s first assistant last season.
Just six years removed from playing for the Coogs, McCardell is feeling, well, everything in the opportunity to lead her own program for the first time.
“I’m all the feels,” McCardell gushed. “I’m nervous, I’m excited. I’m ready to get started, but then it’s like, wait, I need some more time. I’m just excited to see the season and how it plays out.”
McCardell was an assistant at Dekaney in Spring ISD before coming to Conroe two years ago. Last season, her responsibilities were helping with the setters and “being an energy police, making sure we were ready to play.”
At Houston, McCardell played all four years, totaling 3,046 assists, 888 digs and 102 kills in 117 matches. It was during her junior and senior seasons that coaching crossed her mind.
McCardell helped out at summer camps and started coaching club volleyball with her former team, Houston Skyline. Her former club coach, Holly Jones, thought McCardell would make a great coach because of her passion and knowledge for the sport.
“I kind of just fell into it and then I just loved it,” McCardell said. “When I first started playing, I was quiet and timid. I led more by example. Then towards my junior and senior year, I had to have a voice, I had to speak up and I had to say something when no one else would.
“That’s why I love coaching. Now I see why it’s important to help everybody else to be great as one. You can’t play volleyball by yourself.”
McCardell, who describes herself as “loud” and “intentional” as a coach, emphasizes defense and work ethic. She has had her team doing a lot of weight-lifting and running during the offseason and summer.
She wants a team that is strong but agile and quick. She believes the weight room will produce the kind of player she wants.
“It’s having the mentality from the beginning that every ball is ours,” McCardell said. “Fight for balls, make sure the ball doesn’t touch the ground. I will make practices hard and challenging, to where they ask themselves if they can beat a drill. But it’s knowing that their coach and teammates are with them, and once the games come, they’ve been up against everything possible.”
The Tigers are still feeling a bit of a hangover from last season’s success, which McCardell is excited about. Players are feeding off the momentum.
However, McCardell is adamant Conroe will look considerably different than last year, especially with graduation of superstar hitter Ariana Brown, The Courier’s 2022 All-County offensive MVP.
“The success was definitely the family culture,” McCardell said. “Obviously having Ariana Brown here was a tremendous help and elevated the play at Conroe. I don’t think we’ve ever had somebody so explosive offensively and defensively here for a while. Moving forward, we have to express that everybody can have their own way of being explosive and important. We’re not just going to rely on one person.
“Everybody will be needed to do their job to the best of their ability for everybody to have success.”
McCardell’s biggest influence, on and off the court, is her father, Keenan McCardell. The Minnesota Vikings’ wide receivers coach played 17 years in the NFL, was a two-time Pro Bowler and won two Super Bowl rings with Washington in 1991 (while on injured reserve) and Tampa Bay in 2002.
Keenan McCardell’s fans enjoyed him as a dynamic playmaker that caught 883 balls for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns for five different teams.
Kenadra McCardell enjoys Keenan for his constant support and investment in his kids.
The most important thing McCardell took from Keenan was “always give your best. You never know when that’ll be the last time you play. Have no regrets and leave it all out there.”
When Keenan found out his daughter got the Conroe head volleyball job, he was thrilled, telling her, “Go do what you’re supposed to do now” and how important it is to build relationships with players and ensure they understand why and how things are done.
“My dad was always preaching us to be the best,” McCardell said. “His perseverance through injury, trades and all that stuff, he was always so motivating. He taught me that I could keep playing as long as I wanted and keep going at my craft. Then when he became a coach, I’d see him fall asleep after long days and nights at the computer, working endless hours.
“As much as he poured into work, he poured into me and my siblings, critiquing us and getting our thoughts on things.”
McCardell’s thoughts on her debut season on the sideline are reserved. For now.
“I’m just going to take it day by day,” she said. “I would love for us to go back to where we were last year; every coach would love playoff success. But right now, it’s day by day. Maybe ask me later on in the season, and I’ll have a different answer for you.”
