KIMBALL, Neb. — The high school volleyball team said they have high expectations for themselves this season.

The Longhorn volleyball team has 18 players and three seniors. Head Coach Jeri Ferguson said the girls are great at encouraging each other.

“For the first time in a long time my seniors are doing some excellent leadership, they’re not only talking the talk but walking the walk,” Ferguson said.

This is Ferguson’s 10th season coaching volleyball.

Senior players Charlotte Hargreaves and Emma Patterson have both been playing volleyball since they were able to in the 6th grade.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the season plays out,” Hargreaves said. “The freshman coming up have a lot of potential, they’ve been putting in a lot of work in the open gyms and weight room, like we all have, seeing two practices a day startup is a lot of work, but I think it’s going to be a good season.”

The girls said that a fun part about being a senior is encouraging the underclassmen.

“I struggled with volleyball for a while when I was younger and it’s really nice to be able to show the kids that it does get better and if you put in the hardworking you can improve a lot,” Patterson said.

The girls said one of the hardest parts is not having enough players.

“When we go up against bigger schools they have fresh feet on the court, and when they take time-outs six new people come out on the court,” Patterson said. “It does get tiring, but that’s why we’re conditioning and getting better.”

“We’re really recruiting people at the end of the year like ‘go out for volleyball, basketball, football,” Hargreaves said.

The girls said they are looking forward to a winning season.

“I have a couple of girls who are very competitive,” Ferguson said. “There’s a difference between playing hard and being really competitive and we’re starting to develop that competitive spirit.”

The team has a public scrimmage on Friday, August 19th, which costs a Gatorade to get in. The Longhorns have four home games this year with the first being on August 30th.