McLEANSBORO — Coach Jason Hall enters his third season as the Hamilton County volleyball coach knowing his Lady Foxes are loaded for bear.

The 2010 squad has experience, quickness, teamwork and, most of all,  size.

Last season, the Lady Foxes got off to a rough start, losing nine games in the early part of their schedule, but regrouped to finish on a high note, placing second in the Black Diamond Conference to Johnston City and ending the season by giving powerhouse Benton a run for its money in the regional championship.

Lost to graduation were six Lady Foxes who had a big impact on the program’s success.

“We lost six real good girls in Breanna Brock, Whitney Miller, Lindsey Ojala, Chelsea Steele, Renda Williams and Lynn Anselment,” Hall said. “We lost a lot of our defense and we lost some strong back-row passing, and Lynn was one of the most consistent hitters for us.

“That’s something I wondered about, what our defense was going to be like losing all those good players,” Hall said, “but when we went to Crab Orchard this summer, I had two coaches compliment me and say we had one of the best defensive teams there, and we went 10-1 at the tournament. That’s how much these girls stepped up and played.”

Even with the loss of so much experience, the Lady Foxes still have a strong presence on the court and at the net. Three returning seniors have significant varsity experience.

“Returning are Sarah Scott, Jacqueline McGill and Krystal Knight, and Kelsey Bowman also has some varsity experience,” Hall said. “One other senior, Mariah Barr, mainly played JV last season for us. Juniors Emma Moreton saw some varsity time, and so did Alyssa Winemiller until she got hurt. Whitney Craddock played some on the varsity toward the end of the year.

“We have some size for the first time in a long time. This is the first time we really have had any height. That will definitely help us.

“This is also the first year I have two solid setters in Winemiller and McGill,” he said. “McGill had to do it all last year when Winemiller got hurt, but both are back and both are very confident in their talents.

“One really good thing about these girls is they don’t complain about anything. They are ready to go every day and they are dedicated. ... They want to win and they are ready to get started.”

The Lady Foxes only have one sophomore player on the roster this season in Jenna Braden. But they have seven incoming freshmen.

“We have a good group of freshmen coming in,” Hall said. “The freshmen are going to be called on to step up for us.”

At middle hitter, the Lady Foxes will be stronger than they have been with Scott and Craddock, Hall said.

“They are both hitting the ball well,” he said. “They are excellent blockers.”

Lady Fox setters McGill and Winemiller “are very confident, and they get every ball up they can, and Ali Zachman can come in and give a lot of help. She is just as good as they are,” Hall said.

Outside hitters will be Moreton and Knight.

“Moreton is at the top of her game and hits the ball hard,” Hall said, “and Knight with her left hand is very hard to block.”

Emily Miller will be the libero, and she is playing outstanding, Hall said.

Assisting Hall again will be Debbie Barker as the junior varsity coach and Teresa Golden as the freshman coach.

Hall said he feels the Lady Foxes will compete for the Black Diamond Conference title this year.

“This is our best opportunity to compete for the title,” he said. “Last year we tied for the conference title with Johnston City, (who) will be tough again, while Fairfield will be good again even though they lost some players.”

“This summer, we beat Vienna, Eldorado and Johnston City at Crab Orchard, but Johnston City didn’t have all their players. We lost only one game at Crab Orchard, but we didn’t have McGill, and Winemiller was worn out doing all the setting. We also played in a tournament over at Fairfield and went 2-3, but didn’t have Scott.

Benton will be the Lady Foxes’ toughest competition this season, Hall predicted.

“The Benton and Edwards County tournaments will be tough,” he said. “Our No. 1 thing is we want to be the best defensive team around the area. We want the other teams to make the mistakes, not us.

“I want the girls to be confident and to be aggressive on the court. I have a good group of girls to work with, and they are very enjoyable to coach and they make my job so much easier. I think they are ready to get going. This group will be fun to watch.”

The Lady Foxes open their season Aug. 30 at home against Sesser, with the freshman match starting at 5:30 p.m. followed by the junior varsity and varsity contests.