Everything feels brand new to Erin Blalock right now. With the season set to start Monday, the veteran volleyball coach embarks on her fourth season with a brand-new rotation facing a brand-new schedule in a brand-new district.

And while coaches usually crave certainty, Blalock and the Lady Pioneers aren’t tip-toeing their way toward the court. They’re chomping at the bit to get started Monday at Cascade, hopeful the 2023 year could be a hugely successful for WCHS volleyball.

“They’re pumped. They’re pumped every time they step on the court,” said Blalock about the team’s energy going into the first game week. “With this district being an unknown, we’re going into it with a mindset of just going out there and playing the best we can. We’re excited to see what we got this year.”

Warren County, winners of 10 games last year, will be testing its skills this year in the revamped District 7AAA against Cookeville, Stewarts Creek, LaVergne, Lebanon, Smyrna, White County and Wilson Central. While the Lady Pioneers have long-standing rivalries with the Lady Cavaliers and Warriorettes, many of the matches this year will feel very new as the group faces schools for the first time.

It may not matter to those in the rotation though. For many, any opponent will be new as they get their first taste of the varsity level.

Warren County is having to replace five contributors from last year, including three (Jessie Young, Mia Hobbs and Ally Beneke) who signed athletic scholarships to continue their athletic careers. Replacing that kind of production, particularly those with athleticism fit for the college ranks, won’t be easy, but Blalock is already seeing some new leaders emerge.

“It’s a hard thing to replace, but the girls have stepped up. We have a great group of seniors and several of them have varsity experience. We have some girls who are going to get some varsity time too. The team is working well together and sometimes that’s something you can’t coach. You just have it and they do. They mesh well,” said Blalock.

The Lady Pioneers can lean on six seniors this year on the court. Kennedi Pegg - a setter for the last three years with “invaluable varsity experience,” according to her coach – is back, as are outside hitters Emily Davis and Aleah Davis. Allyson Blalock also returns as a middle blocker, while Lilly Cantrell can slide across the front row and Jaelin Stovall can shift across the back row.

While their experience varies (Pegg has the most, while some are forging major varsity roles for the first time), coach Blalock can feel all six making an early imprint on the team. “The seniors are helping the younger girls and helping them find roles they can play and be the best they can be for our team. They bring a lot of different things to the court. We have seniors who are key positional players and those can be hard to come by,” said Blalock.

With so many players to replace, younger Lady Pioneers are seeking out varsity positions as well. Sophomore Samantha Saldana has flashed as a middle blocker, sophomore Lola Wells can play a full rotation, sophomore Amara Ellison can spell Pegg as a setter and sophomore Hope Gilley and freshmen Ali Young and Aubrey Oleksik could factor in on the back row.

The Lady Pioneer roster also includes junior Emma Sharpe, sophomores Kassi Nuckols and Abigail Brown and freshmen Hanah Ray, Alyssa Boyd, Jenna Mullins and Makenzie Hullett.

Warren County will play two games on the road, including a matchup with Cannon County Tuesday, before making its home debut against Cookeville Thursday. The matchup at Charlie Dalton Gym will begin at 5 p.m.