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NTL VOLLEYBALL: COMING OFF FIRST POSTSEASON APPEARANCE IN A DECADE, EXCITEMENT SURROUNDS ATHENS PROGRAM AS 2019 PRESASON OPENS (2019-08-15)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
ATHENS "” In 2018, her first year at Athens, Heather Hanson led the Lady Wildcat volleyball team to their its first postseason appearance in more than a decade. With the 2019 preseason underway, excitement surrounds the Athens program.

"I'm so excited to be back on the floor, and the girls are really pumped, too," said Hanson. "They're sweating, and working hard. The girls are very eager to get into it.

"They're super enthusiastic and I am too," she added.

Having a year under her belt has made things easier for Hanson in her second preseason camp.

"There's a lot more familiarity around the program. It's not like, "˜who's the new coach?' It was a much more welcoming environment.

"I know the girls, and they know what to expect from me," said Hanson.

"The funny thing was watching the girls who were here last year ... they know they have to run after a ball, or run when I say, "˜OK, over here,'" noted Hanson. "It didn't take long for the freshmen to figure it out, but early on you could pinpoint the freshmen real quick."

Last year's success has also led to an increase in numbers.

"Our numbers are good," said Hanson. "Right now, we have 26. We have 11 on varsity, with one spot open we're still looking at.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to make some cut on the JVs. We want to keep it at 12 (varsity) and 12 (JV), otherwise it's too challenging," added Hanson. "I don't want to make cuts, but we really have to."

Athens will scrimmage against Waverly and S-VE on Aug 28, and open the regular season Sept. 5 at Troy.

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PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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