By MINDY KEPFIELD

Staff Writer

Competition may look different this year, but coach Kris Burkholder thinks Marion volleyball can net the leagues’ best record and its championship.

Record will determine the top team this year and she is confident the Warriors will be competitive.

“We can win league, I think that is very doable for us,” she said. “Not that it will be easy by any means.”

Seniors Laura Savage, Anne Baliel, Megan Neufeld, Abigail Stuchlik, and Jaden Slifer, will lend their experience to a squad rounded out by underclassmen like sophomore Calli Burkholder and freshman Grace Hett.

Burkholder expects juniors Jayden May and Chisholm Waner to do great things.

May was named an All-League player last year and was one of the top servers on the team.

The Warrior’s superpower is their ability to work together, Burkholder said.

“They are out there yelling together and they read each other well. There is a lot of communication,” she said. “They just gel. They play well together.”

The girls are hitting with real strength and their back row is just as consistent as the front, Burkholder said.

“Many times if you come out strong in front you have a weak back row,” she said. “This year we are solid all the way around.”

The team’s mental toughness also is an improvement.

“I think our girls have the desire and will to win,” she said. “When they are behind they are not going to lay down and die and give the game to someone else.”