Coaches: Amanda Donaldson (head coach), Katie Pascoe (assistant coach)

Top Returners: Dalilah Rivero (12), Kayla Thienprasiddhi (11), Olivia Urias (10), Dylyn Williams (12)

Top Newcomers: Lilly Hernandez (10), Reagan Williams (9)

Last Season: It was a historic run for the Lady Lancers, who finished with a 29-4 record. For the first time in almost 30 years, they also took the Freeway League title, going 10-0. 

Their CIF playoff run ended in the semifinals as the girls lost in straight sets to Capistrano Valley Christian High School; the Lady Lancers were also state CIF qualifiers, but in their first round of play, they suffered a straight set loss to Poway High School.

Outlook: The Lady Lancers aim to prove themselves as tough competition in the newly formed Crestview League, which includes Foothill (in Tustin), Canyon (in Anaheim), Crean Lutheran (in Irvine) and El Dorado (in Placentia) high schools. None of these opponents were in the Freeway League that Sunny Hills competed in in the past.

“There’s always pressure to make each season better than the last, regardless of a successful year or an unsuccessful year,” Donaldson said. “But I would say it’s less pressure and more of a goal because for us, there’s no fear in making an even bigger statement,” 

The head coach said she sets more physical and technical targets during practice to allow her players to improve their game on the court.

“Being able to combine everybody’s strengths to excel the team or be advantageous for the team is kind of what we’ve been working on,” she said. “We make sure the tempo of certain sets, the tempo of certain passes mesh.”

In addition to these targets, Donaldson said she holds her players to high expectations to develop effectiveness and consistency.

“I’m proud of them for being able to set those standards early and make a statement to the team and say effort is acceptable and no effort is unacceptable,” she said.

Co-captain and three-year player, setter Rivero said she plans to work on becoming a role model whom her teammates can look up to.

“I just want to make sure the girls know that they can always come to me, and they can always say, ‘I want to be at the level that my setter is at; so if she’s playing hard, I want to play just as hard as her or even more,’” she said.

In her last year on the team, Rivero said she aims to leave a bigger footprint than last year and show her love and passion for the sport.

“I just want people to know my name,” said the senior, who aspires to play this sport at the collegiate level. “Not only will I leave everything on the court, [but] I will make sure everyone knows that I left everything on the court.”

Entering a new league, which includes Canyon — an opponent the Lady Lancers lost to during the Thursday, Aug. 29, non-league match last season — the girls know they will have to continue striving for greatness.

“We know everybody’s going to be tough,” Donaldson said. “I think that’s what’s going to be able to keep us chasing and pushing.”

Outside hitter and co-captain Thienprasiddhi said one of her goals for the season includes leading by example.

“On the court, I have to be a lot louder than I was in the previous years because now I’m an upperclassman, and a lot of the new players look up to me,” she said. “I also have to be the one who’s always bringing energy on the court and staying consistent.”

Middle blocker Williams said she’s adapting to the program comfortably with the help of her teammates and Donaldson’s coaching style.

“Practice has been really fun because we know when to mess around and when to be serious — so it’s an equal balance,” she said. “I like how after anyone does anything, she [Donaldson] always has something to tell you to work on, and she makes drills seem not so stressful, which makes us do better because we are not under pressure.”

Williams said she aims to improve her passing and serving abilities.

“I want to be stretched even farther to playing more than just three-and-a-half rotations and trying to play six rotations,” the freshman said.

The Lady Lancers kicked off their preseason at the Irvine Queens Court Tournament from Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 3-4, and finished third out of 42 teams. The head coach said she didn’t have many expectations but rather used the opportunity to test new positions and strategies.

“This tournament was to get some different looks at the girls,” Donaldson said. “Right off the bat, you could just see that we are going to be a tough team to beat.”

Following the tournament, the team won its first preseason match at home against Downey High School, 3-1, on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

“Downey was a good example of in-game adapting,” Donaldson said. “Something I’ve been preaching is yes, we need to be able to have volleyball skills, but something that’s going to put you above the rest is being able to adapt within a game and make changes to not allow the other team to do what they want to do.”

The Lady Lancers have high hopes for their inaugural season as part of the Crestview League and hope to leave their mark.

“I feel really confident in our team,” Rivero said. “Our team has a lot of talent, and it’s all going to connect really soon, and I’m just really excited for it.”

The team (8-1) will play its first league match on the road against Foothill on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m.