A very diverse and talented group of girls comprise the 2014 Magnolia High School Volleyball Team and Head Coach Pam Chapman, the reigning 2013 Coach Of The Year, sees lots of determination and hustle during practice.

“The girls seem to be all over the court and get everything coming at them,” said Chapman, “and chase down what doesn’t. I think these girls will carry their aggressive attitudes over to the regular season and it should be fun to watch.”

With Mallory Chapman off to college, the Lady Eagles will need to find a leader and a player that has that killer instinct around the net. “I will miss her more than you think,” added Chapman. “She was more than just a hard-nose player. She was like having a coach on the floor.”

The Eagles also lost Ashley Moore to graduation. She, along with Chapman, are memorable for their digs and leadership

But, with the loss of one, enters another. In this case, Kelsi Chapman. As a freshman, she played extremely hard and was one of the best servers in the state. She wasn’t asked to do a lot, but with the loss of her sister, she will need to step up her game if the Lady Eagles want to get back to the state volleyball tournament for the third straight year.

Returning to the squad are Bailey Estep, Ciera Fowler, Evan Estep, Grace Berisford, and Taylor Ludewig. In just about every game, fans will see Bailey Estep set up the duo of Fowler and Evan Estep. And, once Ludewig, and Kelsi get their groove back in the “Killer” department, and Berisford gets comfortable as the team’s libero, the Lady Eagles will be locked and loaded to get back to the Promise Land once more.

Other Lady Eagle spikers looking for playing time include, Tylar Seckman and Kristin Massey. The junior varsity team will consist of Emily Shank, Katien Hamrick, Logan Spencer, Alex Berger, Alavia Anderson, and Lauren Anderson

With the loss of Mallory at the net, it will be Fowler exciting the crowds with her tantalizing spikes and work ethic that blossomed last season. Bailey Estep showed her cat-like prowess around the net and her pinpoint sets spear-headed the surge that helped send the Blue Eagles back to the state tournament.

The Lady Eagles, in quest of their third straight trip to the state tournament, will open the season at home with six straight home matches, starting with a scrimmage with Wirt on Aug. 28 and the regular season,

Magnolia will open up against Weirton Madonna at 6 p.m.