For a Harlan County team with five starters back from a 19-win squad that made it to the regional final four last fall, good is no longer good enough.
Harlan County broke a streak of five straight losing seasons with last year’s 19-10 campaign that included a five-set win over Pineville in the first round of the 13th Region Tournament. It was the first appearance in the regional final four for the Lady Bears since advancing to the second round three straight times from 2012 to 2014. The 2013 team set the school record for wins with 20, one ahead of last year’s total.
Setting a new school record for victories and making another deep postseason run are among the goals for this year’s veteran squad, according to coach Christina Jones.
“Continuing on the momentum from last season, we hope to hit the ground running,” Jones said. “We hope to make some noise. We have a very experienced team, and have our sights set on a regional title. We are excited to get started and see what these girls can do.”
Ashton Evans, the only senior on the roster, was second on the team in kills last year with 234, first in digs with 350 and third in aces with 58.
“Ashton is our leader this season. She starts out every practice going through stretches with the team and ends every practice leading the team in our huddle breakout,” Jones said. “Ashton is a strong leader with a great work ethic, and she has a great attitude.”
Three standout juniors — Kalista Dunn, Kylee Hoiska and Savannah Hill — will play huge roles for this year’s Lady Bears.
“It helps so much when you have returning players, especially girls that have been in your program for multiple years together,” Jones said. “The way these girls play together is really something to watch. They are all super competitive, team players, and they hate to lose. It should make for a fun season.”
Dunn was first on the team in kills last season with 274 and first in digs with 351 while adding 61 assists.
“Kalista is a veteran on the court. She has been playing volleyball since she was 6. She can swing hard and has a great ability to read the floor and place the ball,” Jones said.
Hoiska led the team in blocks with 25 and second in aces with 67, while adding 162 kills and 22 assists.
“Kylee put in a lot of work in the off season playing travel volleyball in Pikeville. She will serve as a middle hitter and will be a terror on the net as a blocker,” Jones said.
Hill was one of the region’s best in setting up her teammates as she recorded 442 assists, more than double anyone else on the team. She also had 237 digs and 42 aces.
“Savannah is our setter. I always call her my quarterback because she controls the tempo,” Jones said. “She has worked hard for us in the offseason playing travel volleyball in Corbin. She has quick hands and keeps the defense guessing with her setting ability.”
Ashlynn Williamson, a freshman, moved into the starting lineup late last season and will serve as the Lady Bears’ libero this year.
“Ashlynn stepped up on defense last year in the regional tournament,” Jones said. “Ashlynn is quick and has the ability to cover a lot of the floor. “
Sophie Day, Alexis Adams, Madi Nolan and Karli Shoupe will also compete for starting positions and should also provide improved depth from a year ago.
“They are still figuring their roles, as they are new to starting varsity; however, I look forward to them all being able to step up in big ways,” Jones said.
Coming off the success of a year ago, Jones wants the Lady Bears to enjoy the process the season and not look too far ahead.
“The biggest challenge will be just taking it one game at a time. It’s a long season, and we just have to focus on the game we are playing and not try to look ahead. If we can control the tempo and play our style of volleyball, we are going to be a tough team to beat,” Jones said. “With volleyball, you have to have a short memory and be able to work together. Our girls are very team oriented. We have a balanced attack and that makes us a hard team to prepare for.
“We expect big things from our girls. We try to take our record from the year before and build on it. It’s going to be tough, but these girls are ready for the challenge.”