The loss of 10 graduating seniors means several starting and backup positions are up for grabs on this year’s Highland Huskies volleyball team. Among the Huskies losses to graduation includes last season’s kill leader Sam Dutton, the team’s leader in aces Morgan Craig, and the squad’s assist leader Chelsey Lampe.

Another loss from last season is senior Cheyanne Adamson, who has decided to run cross country.

Despite the large loss of numbers, head coach Chris Rath is excited to return a handful of players who made impacts last season. Among them is junior Kelsey Hora, a returning first team all-conference libero in 2014. She collected a team-high 187 digs during last season, an average of 2.5 digs per set.

Rath says she is unsure where she wants Hora to play on the court this season, “I think we are going to use her more than a libero this season but we haven’t decided yet,” Rath said, “She is such a good athlete and we are just trying to utilize her as best as we can.”

Senior Jenna Dresselhaus is another player Rath is excited about returning this fall. Dresselhaus was second on the team last season in assists with 195, and finished third last season in digs with 87.

Highland opens their 2015 volleyball season on Monday, August 24, participating in the Keota Tournament. You can hear an interview with Rath about the upcoming volleyball season at KCIIRadio.com.