The past two girl’s volleyball seasons have not been too kind to the Lafayette High School girl’s team but new head coach Traci Barnes hopes all that changes this season.



Barnes becomes the third head coach of the girls volleyball team in the past three years. The Lady Hornets have gone winless in the past three season. If Coach Barnes can do with the varsity team what she did with the junior varsity last season, then Lady Hornet fans can expect a much better season.



Coach Barnes is very optimistic as the 2004 season opens on Monday, August 30 in a home match against Bronson. The reason for the excitement is the addition of a couple of junior varsity players from last season.



“We have two players who will move up from the junior varsity last year and they will help us,” said Barnes. “Sarah Atwell did a great job with her serves last year. Sara Beth Dowe is the other player who will move up. “Ashley Myers and Fran Smith are expected to be the frontline defense for the Lady Hornets. “They will be our spikers,” said Coach Barnes. “We have one returning senior and that is Stacey Lewis, a very versatile player.”



Veteran player Lena Brock who could be the team’s leading server, returns for her junior year. “Lena is a good server. She has some good serves,” said the Lady Hornet mentor. “We also expect good things from Whitney McGrew, who has a good serve.”



The Lady Hornets will miss the play of Hannah Vann and Lindsey Israel who opted not to play this season. “They are baby sitting this year,” said Coach Barnes.



Coach Barnes likes the make up of this year’s team with the combination of some first year players and veterans. “We seem to be listening and adjusting well to the players who never played last year,” she said. “I feel like we are going to win some games this year.”



The new head coach is expecting her team to be competitive in district play this season and could surprise some teams. “Bronson is going to be tough again,” she said. “But I don’t think we will finish last this year like we have the past three seasons.”



Coach Barnes mentioned the fact that the team has gone the past three years without a win is in the back of the players minds, but thinks that could be a positive and not a negative. “This team is ready to win some games,” she said. “They have a new coach and new players, so they are ready to win some games.”



In describing the character of this year’s team Coach Barnes says it has been a team that has cooperated with the coaching staff. “The players have come together and they are excited about winning,” Barnes said. “We have stressed that everyone keep their heads in the game, think positive and keep the ball in play.”



Coach Barnes said that she was excited in taking the helm of the team for the 2004 season. She guided last year’s junior varsity team to a 7-8 finish which is a major improvement over previous seasons. Stacey Lewis, the lone returning senior, said the Lady Hornets will return stronger this season compared to last year. “We are going to be much stronger and I believe we will win some games,” she said. “It is embarrassing to have not won in three years.”



Lewis said Hornet fans should see a stark improvement in the team’s serves and “we have Whitney and Fran (Smith) as our spikers.” “We have a coach who is teaching us the fundamentals of the game,” said Lewis. “Our serving is going to be much better. This is my senior season and it would be nice to go out with a winning season.”



Junior Kayla Wilson returns to the Lady Hornets lineup. She echoed much of what Lewis said but the players from last year will be missed. “We don’t have some of the better players from last year (Vann and Israel) coming back and we did graduate two seniors,” Wilson said. “I have seen better teamwork this year and that is going to help us to move up. I am excited about this year’s team and feel like we can win some matches.”



Wilson said having a player like Lewis back makes this year’s edition of girls volleyball a lot stronger. “She is so versatile and can play front row or back row,” said Wilson. “We can put her anywhere knowing that she is going to do a good job for us.”