LEROY — As the Cardinals prepare for the Section 1A West Division volleyball tournament, they’ll look to lean heavily on the hands of setter Megan Grant.

And those hands have been pretty dependable over the years as Grant, a junior who has started for three years, has over 1,000 career set assists.

“Megan just has the nicest hands for a setter and we’re really happy with how she’s done this year,” L/O head coach Lisa Swenson said.

Grant tore her ACL last winter during basketball season but she was cleared to play in August and hasn’t missed a beat since.

Of course, Grant also has her favorite target in senior hitter Chanda Riedemann, who has over 600 career kills for the Cards. The two have worked together often over the years to the point that their timing in L/O’s quick hitting offense can be uncanny.

“We’re working on it every day and we’re still learning,” Grant said. “Right now, Chanda and I are getting back sets in. It’s a lot of communication and we’re getting better.”

Riedemann provides the Cardinals with athleticism and quickness at the net and she’s benefited from playing with Grant for the past three seasons.

“She definitely helps me. We talk a lot about our hitting and setting together,” Riedemann said of Grant.

Swenson said that the combination of her top hitter and top setter has made things easier for the team’s other top hitters — Becca Bunne and Krista Bunne.

“Megan’s a very quiet leader on the court, but it seems like the girls are just able to read each other. She knows what Becca, Chanda and Krista all like to hit,” Swenson said. “It’s almost like they can read each other’s minds. The nice thing with Chanda is she can find the ball and she has some sort of ability to find the open hole. She’s very good at reading the court.”

The Cardinals wrapped up the SEC West title this season and now they’ll look to make a run in the Section 1A West Division Tournament, which begins Thursday when they host Southland.

The No. 4 seeded Cardinals already beat Southland in a tournament earlier this year and if they do it on Thursday, they’ll get to play in the Mayo Civic Center.

“We want to beat Southland really badly,” Riedemann said.

While the Cardinals have just two seniors, Swenson said this year’s squad has been a blast to work with.

“It’s been a really nice year and they’re a good team to work with and they get a along quite well. That shows on the court,” she said.