CHADRON, Neb. -- August 18, 2016 -- Chadron State College volleyball got off to a quick start on Tuesday as the entire team reported for the first workouts of fall camp.

According to first-year head volleyball coach Riann Mullis, the team came together quickly in the spring drills, showcasing their mental focus and their raw ability in an exhibition win against Western Nebraska Community College, last year's national junior college runner-up and the 2016 preseason No. 2-ranked team in NJCAA Division I.

"We set a great precedent this spring for how the season will go," said Mullis. "I hope what we did earlier in the year will follow us into the season. We have the talent and the mentality to compete at a high level. I think we are becoming used to each other. Now, we just need to get acclimated to the same system and put it all together."

Last season, the Eagles were just two down-to-the-wire matches away from being a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament team, despite having three true freshmen in their starting lineup for most of the season. With just a few set points separating them from the upper half of the conference, the Eagles return confident and more experienced, with six players returning who started a significant portion of the season.

One of the biggest question marks on the CSC volleyball team is how the players adjust to the coaching transition. Coach Mullis came in just prior to the team's spring workouts and has had some time to work with the veterans on the team. Alia Brennan, the most veteran Eagle on the roster, has now been through two such progressions.

"We're all pretty comfortable with each other and have played with each other a lot," said Brennan. "The new girls are coming in and getting familiar as well. This coaching change is different but it's really good for us. We're just a more energetic team right now. We're working on getting in the flow of coach Mullis's system - how she wants us setting up in defense, for instance - we're changing our playing philosophy fundamentally."

Brennan, along with Stephanie Wilson and Rudy Leasau, will be the only three seniors in 2016. Wilson is in her fifth season in the RMAC after playing for New Mexico Highlands in 2012 and taking a medical hardship in 2013, then taking a mandatory year off in 2014 when she transferred to Chadron State. Her 2015 season was marred by injury, but she hopes to get back on the court for one more go-round. Leasau spent two seasons starring at Grossmont College in California before also redshirting at CSC in 2014. She broke out in 2015 with an All-RMAC Second Team season, where she led the Eagles in kills and digs, and was a 2016 preseason all-conference selection.

Six returning starters are one of the main reasons for optimism among the CSC volleyball faithful.

Brennan enters the season with 63 career starts, a number which was held down by an injury in the 2015 season.

Leasau started 24 of 26 last season.

In addition, four talented underclassmen with extensive match experience return with an eye on improvement.

Gaby Varela, a junior, was second on the team to Leasau in kills last year.

In addition, a trio of sophomores who started last season as true freshmen suggest the Eagles may make leaps forward in 2016. They are setter Madison Webb, middle blocker Kenzie Chrisman, and libero Sierra Winkle. Webb started nearly every game at setter, finishing sixth in the RMAC in assists per game and leading the team in service aces. Chrisman led the team in solo blocks and is the third-leading returning scorer. Winkle, who played in 21 of 26 matches, led the 2015 squad in digs per set and was second in service aces.

Junior Alexis Farris is another valuable returner who started six matches, playing various roles for the Eagles. Standing six feet tall, her length will be utilized in the frontcourt this season.

Newcomers include two true freshmen and three junior college transfers, one of which will be a sophomore.

Emily Bruce, originally from Centerton, Arkansas, starred for Fort Scott Community College in 2015, where as a sophomore she ranked No. 4 in the nation with 7.10 digs per set and also ranked top-50 in NJCAA Division II with 55 service aces. She led her team to a 27-9 regular season mark and 6-3 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, receiving All-Conference honorable mention and All-District Second Team honors at the conclusion of the season.

Ashton Burditt comes to Chadron from Spearfish High School in South Dakota. She captained her senior team which placed third at state Class A playoffs going 28-8 and winning their region. Coach Mullis referred to Burditt as "very coachable and enthusiastic", noting also that she is heavily invested in the CSC program.

Maaryn Davis, a junior transfer from Sheridan College, is a Chadron High School product who is a versatile player with experience playing all over the court. She has been described as having a high "volleyball IQ" by former coaches. Last season she ranked fourth in NJCAA Region IX North, and 36th nationally in the junior college ranks, with 844 assists at setter.

Jessica Perry, another incoming freshman from Mesa, Arizona, is a high-energy all-around volleyball player with several years' club team experience. She finished second on her Mountain View High School team with 57 service aces, third in kills (173) and digs (211), and fourth with 46 total blocks.

The fifth incoming player, Dominika Senkerikova, hails from the Czech Republic, but played one year of junior college volleyball at Lake Sumter State College (Fla.). There she led the team with 2.23 kills per set, 44 service aces, and a hitting percentage of .250, adding 81 digs and 12 blocks. While a high school foreign exchange student at Ione Community Charter School in Oregon, her senior team went 32-0 en route to a state title.

With the addition of Senkerikova, the second-year development of Chrisman in the middle, and the senior experience of Brennan, the Eagles hope to make major inroads on improving hitting percentage in 2016, which was one of their weaknesses last year. The 2015 Eagles finished eighth in the RMAC in team hitting percentage at .168, while allowing opponents to hit .196. The average for the league was .174.

"As a middle," said Brennan, "blocking is our number one priority, but I see myself as a more offensive-minded middle. A goal of mine is to have one of the top hitting percentages on the team and in the RMAC."

CSC volleyball opens the season September 3 versus Saginaw Valley State University at the Point Loma Nazarene University Seaside Invitational in San Diego, before traveling to Sioux Falls to play in a tournament at the Sanford Pentagon. Their home opener is September 23 versus Western State Colorado University.