As students get settled into classes this month, the women’s volleyball team are looking to bounce back from last year The team got right into action with their first game on Aug. 21.

The team started off on right foot with a 3-1 home victory versus Lincoln College.

The Lady Eagles volleyball team finished 12-25 last season overall with a 3-6 record in conference play.

Coach Erin Polte said about last season, “Last year, it felt like we were always just coming up short, we played right with a lot of teams but just kept coming up short.”

She continued that the team is “working on mental toughness and having high energy, so the team can last throughout the whole match instead of just spurts of greatness.”

The Lady Eagles lost two team statistical leaders last year with one being Emma Lohr-Fandel who led the team in points with 356.5 and points per set with 3.0.

She was also second among the team in digs with 381 and in digs per set with 3.26.

The other team leader lost was Hanna Bima, who led the team in total blocks and blocks per set with 75 total blocks and a 0.68 block per set rate.

She was also second in points with 317.5 and second in points per set with 2.9.

When asked about the loss of those two, Polte said, “That’s the struggle of every junior college; you are going to lose a lot people.

“And you are going to lose people who make a big difference for you on the court.”

Even though the team lost two team statistical leaders last year, they do bring back a lot of talent this year.

One is Kaitlyn Edgcomb who was third in points with 200.5, fourth in points per set with 1.9, second in total blocks with 54, and third in blocks per set with 0.51.

However, Polte noted that Edgcomb “went down with a pretty rough injury.” So, it is uncertain if she will be able to participate in action this season.

Another returning talent is Jenna Lusietto, who was fourth in points with 160, third in points per set with 2.7, third in total blocks with 33, and second in blocks per set with 0.56.

Polte said that she felt like Lusietto never reached her full potential last season due to injury issues.

Polte feels like she will not only surprise opponents but also make a huge difference both offensively and defensively in the middle.

Two other team statistical leaders are returning as well. First, Jessica Garber, who was first in assists with 952 and assists per set with 8.14 while being third in digs with 277 and digs per set with 2.37, and Riley Johnson, who led the team in digs with 504 and digs per set 4.31 a set.

The Lady Eagles bring in five freshmen this year, Lauren Bernardoni, Anna Murray, Mallery Pearson, Melissa Trilikis, and Kate Vigars.

Polte noted that the freshmen have meshed into the team extremely well so far. And that “it’s probably been the best team dynamic that I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

As for Polte’s expectations for this season, “Obviously I want more wins, all of us do, and we are going to work really hard to get that.

“But, the most important thing is these girls learn something and have a good experience with this. And I think if we go into every game with that mentality, we are going to be really hard to beat.