The Prince Edward County High School varsity girls volleyball team has lost six players from last year due to graduation, and many of them were starters, but setbacks are not in the forecast for the younger Lady Eagles this season.

A reasonably solid foundation was laid in 2015, with the team going 8-12 overall and 4-6 in the conference during the regular season. Prince Edward fell to Nottoway in the conference tournament.

“I think we’re going to be better this year,” Lady Eagles Head Coach Janet Green said. “It was hard to lose six seniors, but it seems like the younger players are really stepping up, and they are enthusiastic, they’re talented, they’re very athletic and they work really well together, so I think it’s going to be an amazing season.”

Prince Edward will have two seniors providing leadership this year, and both of them are right hitters — Cameron Goodman and Morgan Todt.

They will be team captains along with junior setter Grace Rust, who will share setting duties with junior Abby Roach.

“As setters, they control the offense,” Green said of Rust and Roach, “but they’re also hitters, so they kind of have like a double punch there.”

A useful tool in the arsenal of any offense is the ability for a setter to surprise opposing defenses by popping the ball over themselves rather than setting every time.

“In the system we play, they’re going to pop one over a lot,” Green said. “We really set up our system so we can focus on their hitting ability as well as their setting ability.”

Rust proved herself at the varsity level on both fronts last year, leading the Lady Eagles in kills, with 89, and assists, with 151. She also led the team in serve percentage and serve receive percentage and had the second-most aces with 47.

Both Rust and Roach will also be busy setting up Goodman and Todt, who combined for 73 kills last year and will have many more opportunities this season since strong hitters Olivia Borum and Sam Gubash have graduated.

Junior libero Sarah Edwards will be a difference-maker for Prince Edward in the back row.

“She’ll be a defensive specialist,” Green said. “She can hit from the back row. She can chase anything down, so she’ll be real helpful for us.”

The coach also highlighted an outstanding freshman, McKayla Morris, whose impact is expected to grow throughout this season.

“She has it all: height, strength, intensity, confidence,” Green said.

Additionally, Green expects the team to get a boost as a result of bringing another assistant coach on board to work with her and Assistant Coach Kim Lettner.

“Rachel Walker has joined us this year, and she has played in college and is an exceptional addition to our coaching team,” Green said.

As for her players, Green sees the biggest obstacle to success being inexperience, but said she hopes they can develop confidence and a great trust in each other that will allow them to overcome any inexperience.

“I just like their attitude and just their intensity,” she said. “They really want to win, and we’ve been working hard for a week and a half now. … We’re not quite formed yet, but the potential is really there.”

The Lady Eagles open the regular season Thursday at home against Colonial Heights High School. The match is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.