As the Lady Wolves volleyball team opens regular season practices, head coach Shelly Powers is balancing the addition of five freshmen with the loss of three graduated seniors — including filling a major hole in the lineup.

Last year’s departure of all-state setter Christina Johnson leaves the team searching for a new floor general. Powers said filling that vacant role is the coaching staff’s primary objective as team preparations get underway.

“We have some really talented players, and it looks like we’ve got some really good options for that position,” Powers said. “We’ll just need to continue evaluating to see how well we can get that taken care of.”

The 16-player roster features a strong mix of returning athletes alongside the incoming freshmen, but counts just three seniors: Alana Harrison, Alexis Easterly and Sophia Martinsen. Powers pointed to Harrison and Easterly as being “heavy hitters,” and to Martinsen as a defensive anchor who gained critical experience on the court last season.

“Sophia started playing the libero position last year. That’s a defensive position, and she did excellent stepping into that role,” Powers said. “We definitely want to build on that. I’m excited to see what develops there.”

Managing a large roster in a gym with only one full court requires coaches to balance reps and individual court time carefully. Powers noted that daily practice drills are designed to create the muscle memory and the repetition players need to settle into their respective assignments.

“I think, right now, we need to find our rhythm and maintain it,” she said. “I think we are going to be very strong offensively. What I’ve seen in practice so far really makes me think we’ll thrive there. But we also need to focus on control the center of the court and figure out what formation we’re going to use that will work best to suit our style of play.”

Alongside technical adjustments, Powers emphasizes the psychological side of competition early in the fall schedule.

“I think what we really need to focus on more than anything, right now, is developing mental toughness,” she said. “We need to work on building that up now for the challenges we’ll need to push through further in the season. Volleyball can be a very mentally demanding sport, even though it may not always look like it from the sidelines.”

Assistant coaches Lynsie Power-Morelli and Brian Herman are working alongside Powers to prepare the roster for the upcoming schedule.

“They both bring a lot to the program and have developed a good rapport with the girls,” Powers said.

The Lady Wolves open their season at home Oct. 9-10 when they host a tournament against Skagway and Petersburg. The matchups will offer an early benchmark against regional competition.

“I think that Petersburg will be the team to beat this year,” Powers said. “They brought up a lot of talent into the freshman class.”

After a couple of away meets, Wrangell will head to Southeast regionals Nov. 19-21 in Metlakatla.