Bainbridge is poised to make State for the fifth year in a row.

When Hannah Stuart talks about this year’s Bainbridge volleyball team, the word she uses the most is “excited.”

As in “I’m really excited about this season.” “I’m so excited about the players, I could go on and on.” “It’s so exciting.”

“Exciting” is also a word that can be used to describe this year’s team as they try to make it back to state for the fifth year in a row.

Last year, the Spartans won their first 10 games en route to the Metro League Mountain Division title.

They lost to rival Bishop Blanchet in the Metro League championship game, but eliminated them in the Sea-King district 2 tournament to make it back to state.

There, they suffered a rare letdown in a heartbreaking loss to White River in the opening round.

Bainbridge defeated Tumwater in consolation play later that night, but lost to Cedarcrest the next day.

“We had a good year (last year),” head coach and Metro League coach of the year Julie Miller said. “It’s one thing to be good, but it’s another thing to go beyond that. Getting to State was great, but we should have placed at State.”

This year, all of the teams – varsity, junior varsity and the C-team – had 52 players try out for the three teams. It matches the biggest turnout Miller has ever had.

“A lot of people played over the summer, so there’s a lot of improved (players),” Miller said. “(JV coach) Shaine (Schramling) took 15 (players) and (C-team coach) Dave (Layton) got 14.

“It’s always hard to cut people,” she continued. “You never know, especially when they’re freshman or sophomores, how they’re going to do. But we kept 42, which is a lot. It was a quality tryout.”

They lost four players from last year, as Sabrina Tan and Alexa Seidl graduated and Molly Bonham and Delsa Toglia moved on to other activities.

But eight players are returning, including four seniors in Stuart, Ali Post, Lindsey Bratonia and Marijke Schwarz-Smith.

All four will be co-captains of the team.

Juniors Hillary Grant, Becky Gottlieb, Daron Vandelur and Kelcey Dunaway also return from last year’s team.

“It’s a really nice, neat group of kids,” Miller said. “It’ll be a pretty unified group and a positive group.”

The Spar­tans’ offense will go through Stuart. The Metro League Mountain Division MVP and AP second team all-state selection led the team in kills last season with 252. She plans to do even better this season.

“We want to win state,” she said. “That’s my goal and I think we can do it, I really do. But we’re going to have to work hard.”

Stuart also played with Dunaway on their select team KJ18 Baden at the USA Junior Olympics this summer.

Stuart will start at outside hitter, with Dunaway and Schwarz-Smith in the middle to form a formidable front line.

Vandelur and Bratonia are slotted for the other outside hitter position, while Grant and Post will start at libero and setter, respectively.

Post led the team with 320 assists last season.

“Hillary has been working really, really hard,” Miller said. “She looks really good. She’s a solid passer.”

Filling the four vacant spots are four new players in junior outside hitter Annie Alscheimer, junior setter/defensive specialist Chelsea Bell, sophomore opposite hitter Dominique Atherley and sophomore setter Heather Schneider.

Atherley, Alscheimer and Bell were on the JV team last year, while Schnieder moves up from the C-team.

Miller likes the newcomers and feels they’ll make some major contributions to the squad.

“They’re great,” she said. “They really fit in well.”

Stuart agreed.

“There’s a lot of new talent that I didn’t know about,” she said. “They all have a great personality, but it’s not too overwhelming.”

They’ll need the newcomers to step up, as Blanchet returns nearly everyone from last year’s team and Seattle Prep and Holy Names look to be improved.

Miller also said they’ll get some fierce competition from the two tournaments they are playing in this year and a tougher schedule.

The Spartans must also avoid the injury bug, as several players are dealing with nagging injuries.

Another change is the location of the state tournament.

Originally, it was to be held at the Tacoma Dome along with all the other classifications after holding the tournaments in several different towns in earlier years, but it was dropped in favor of a Dixie Chicks concert.

The 4A and 3A tournament will be held at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

But Miller doesn’t mind – “We like road trips,” she said – and thinks they have a great chance to get back to the big one.

“We just need to make sure our ball control is good so that we can set everybody and have a solid defense and try to play smart,” she said. “(But) they really want to work hard and they want to succeed.

All of them want to do that, which is nice. We’re pretty driven.”

Bainbridge starts the season Sept. 5 at rival North Kitsap.

Their first home game is Sept. 7 against Central Kitsap.

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Spartan volleyball

9/5 – at North Kitsap, 6:30 p.m.

9/7 – Central Kitsap, 7 p.m.

9/9 – Auburn Tournament, all day

9/13 – Ingraham, 6 p.m.

9/15 – at Nathan Hale, 6 p.m.

9/20 – at Holy Names, 6 p.m.

9/22 – Seattle Prep, 6 p.m.

9/27 – Bishop Blanchet, 6 p.m.

9/29 – at Lakeside, 6 p.m.

9/30 – Mark Morris Tournament at Lower Columbia College, all day.

10/4 – Eastside Catholic, 6 p.m.

10/6 – Holy Names, 6 p.m.

10/11 – at Seattle Prep, 6 p.m.

10/13 – at Bishop Blanchet, 6 p.m.

10/18 – Lakeside, 6 p.m.

10/20 – at Eastside Catholic, 6 p.m.

10/24-28 – Metro League tournament, West Seattle HS, times TBA.

11/2-4 – Sea-King District 2 tournament, Bishop Blanchet/Mount Si HS, times TBA.

11/10-11 – 3A state tournament, Toyota Center, Kennewick, times TBA.