Eagles reloading for 2015

After going 10-0 in conference play last season, it would be easy to see expectations soar for the Keota volleyball team.

The Eagles ran through the South Iowa Cedar Conference last season en route to an 18-7 record in 2014, but with six seniors graduating, a lot of young players will have to step up for Keota to stake another claim to the conference title.

Leading the charge will be two seniors, Abby Schulte and Courtney Hyman, who were the only returning athletes to see varsity action last season.

With those two returning, head coach Brandi Cave said she will have good leadership this season.

?They have a lot of leadership, which is good,? Cave said. ?They take control on the floor, which is good, because you always need a couple of people to do that.?

After graduating six seniors who played in nearly every match last year, there will be a lot of openings for playing time on the court this season, and that has been a positive so far, according to Hyman.

?It?s been good,? Hyman said. ?Everyone is trying their hardest, because they know it?s really open for anyone to have. It?s going to be good for us to have competition, because it hasn?t been that way (in the past).?

Hyman played in 29 of the Eagles? 74 sets last season, picking up five kills on 20 attack attempts, and 15 digs.

Schulte, who was a first-team all-conference selection a year ago, was a key part of Keota?s success last season, serving as the primary setter for the Eagles.

She picked up 426 assists last season, good for second in the conference, as well as adding 11 kills and 36 digs. Schulte hopes her offseason work pays off as she looks to continue improving those numbers for the team.

?I played club (volleyball) this winter, and that really helped,? Schulte said. ?It was nice to get to play with a brand-new team, because I knew that?s what this year would be. It was a new experience.?

With so many new pieces set to be introduced to the varsity level this season, Cave said Schulte?s setting ability is certainly going to help out the new hitters coming into the fold.

?She knows what she is doing,? Cave said. ?When there are three hitters in the front, she is good at mixing it up, which is awesome. She takes direction very well, and just does what she needs to do. Hopefully she gets the kills we need from her sets, but it?ll take time to get used to the rotation.?

As the preseason has gone on, Cave said the look of the team has started to shake itself out. One of the biggest days for them was on Thursday, when the team went to an eight-team scrimmage at Sigourney, which featured Washington, Mid-Prairie, WACO and Highland.

?They had to prove to me they were ready to play,? Cave said. ?We have a couple of freshmen dressing on varsity, and they?ve shown they can handle the pressure. We have to get the mix playing as a team, and they?ve done a good job of team bonding at practice. That makes a huge difference.?

For the athletes who are separating themselves, Cave mentioned that a lot of players are making noise and said it should be a well-rounded team when all is said and done.

?Alyssa White in the middle, I think she?s going to be a good hitter,? Cave said. ?She?s really been working on angles and working hard. Erin Chalupa is stepping up and is going to play some left side for us. We have a number of people stepping up to play in the back row, and Grace Shemanski is looking good on the right side. She can hit and set if we need it.?

Despite preparing to reload with a lot of newcomers, the Eagles will still be the defending conference champions, and they know they?ll get everyone?s best, especially when it comes to conference play.

The key will be the leadership on the court.

?We can?t give up in tough situations,? Hyman said. ?It gets easy to do that when you fall behind by a few points. You have to keep your spirits up all the time.?

Although there could be some growing pains, the team has a lot of confidence that they will remain very competitive coming into the season.

?We are going to try to improve as the year goes on,? Schulte said. ?We want to get as many wins as we can, and see what we can do.?

The Eagles will open up their season on Monday when they host a season-opening tournament at 4 p.m.