GODFREY • The Alton High volleyball team surprised a lot of people during last year's impressive record-setting campaign.
Count the Redbirds players among those that were the most stunned.
"I knew we could be pretty good," junior hitter Savannah Fisher said. "But 25 wins. Wow."
Alton, coming off the most wins ever in a single year, opened its 39th season Wednesday with the first day of practice.
Fisher, one of three key returning starters, realizes the shock factor is over.
The Redbirds are now relevant in the Southwestern Conference volleyball world.
"People used to kind of look at us and say, 'Oh, we're playing Alton, that's no big deal,' " senior Kailin Haug explained. "Now, we've kind of got a reputation to live up to."
The Redbirds will do their best to hang onto their new-found image despite losing five key cogs from last year's 25-8 squad that got off to a blistering 19-1 start.
Coach Stacey Ferguson, beginning her seventh season at helm, feels the breakout campaign will help establish her squad as one of the contenders in the super-tough SWC.
"We've always had talented girls," Ferguson said. "But the reality is that we had a group of girls that really worked together. They had the chemistry and that helped push us to that next level. Hopefully, this group will prove that they want to stay at that level."
Alton hosts Columbia in its season opener Aug. 24.
Haug believes her team will be able to keep up with the new high-level standards.
"It's going to be harder because everyone has higher expectations for us and we won't be able to surprise anyone," Haug said. "But we're ready for the challenge."
Fisher, Haug and senior hitter Jada Green lead the returnees. With 210 kills, Green came within 15 of setting a school single-season mark and likely will grab the career kill mark by the end of the season. Fisher, a softball standout, and Haug, add more depth up front.
Sophomore Sydney Schmidt will take over the setting chores from graduated standout Jordan Nolan, who holds the school record for most assists. Junior Annie Evans, one of the top weapons on the junior varsity team last season, will likely move into a starting role.
The Redbirds had three successive winning seasons before posting a 16-18 mark in 2013. Yet they have managed to hit the 20-win plateau just four times overall.
In other words, the program has been good — but not good enough to finish ahead of league toughies Edwardsville and O'Fallon.
Things might be different this time around.
"We had some seniors leave that filled some pretty big shoes," Ferguson said. "The girls have put in a lot of work this summer knowing they had to fill those shoes and I think they're going to be ready."
Ferguson, who has a 114-88 career mark, had 27 players show up on the first day of practice, a number that put a smile on her face.
"The 25 wins were great," Ferguson said. "But we want to push for 26 and maybe even more."
