With a new head coach and basically a new team, there is a lot of questions that will need to be answered. And the answers could come very quickly.

Don’t worry about the new head coach, she has been around Mancos High School volleyball for many years serving as assistant under longtime coach Bill Tourjee who announced his retirement at the end of last season. Mona Shepherd took over the program last spring when she was officially chosen for the top spot.

Although a bout with pneumonia slowed her down this summer, the program is off and running.

The biggest question mark will be trying to replace a bunch of talent seniors who graduated last May. If the Jays want to make another return to Regionals right away, several seniors this year plus several newcomers will have to step up. But 29 girls are out for the sport.

"This is a challenge because I have no starters back," Shepherd said. "The only remotely returning player with any kind of varsity experience is junior middle blocker Katie Paxton. She did not start but she did come in and play on the front row. Tasha Walton, a senior, is back. She had a uniform last year but never got on the floor. That’s all I have for experience."

But she has a quality junior class who played a lot of junior varsity matches. She will have some juniors and seniors on the floor this year but, again, none with any kind of real varsity time.

Juniors Lacy Morris and Cassie Coppinger are working out the setter spot(s). Shepherd may go with a two-set offense instead of the 5-1 utilized last year and by so many volleyball teams across Colorado. Coppinger went to several camps this summer, including down at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Morris, though, is tall and has good hands and may see some time on the line. Rachel Russell has been working hard and could be in the middle. Walton will see time in the middle, as well, or offside.

Katie Rosso is a strong candidate for the left side. Rosso has worked hard over the summer and is looking good in preseason workouts. Jeni DeFrenchi will work both in the middle and left. Angie Hall is another one who could see varsity time.

Mancos does not have much overall height. The tallest girl is 5-foot-8. But Shepherd said the girls have good vertical jumping abilities.

"We are going to work on blocking, but with their lack of height that will not be a strength. If I were to say we had any shortcomings (no pun intended) is that we are not tall. We still want to play a strong defensive game and make a team play over and over and make their own mistakes. We certainly don’t want to free ball. But this team does have a knack of keeping the ball off the floor," she added.

Jori Yeomans, a good athlete, will see time on the floor, probably as a defensive specialist or another lefty. DeFrenchi and Walton may play back there. Jolene Thomas is a good backcourt player. Thomas has played in the front and back so she has that going for her, according to Shepherd.

Are there pluses?

"I have known many of them since they were in first grade. They hustle and work hard. They all have a lot of enthusiasm. I think if they can hang together as a team, we can surprise some people," she said.

Shepherd will be assisted Janine Manninen.

The Blue Jays open the season at home on Sept. 5 by hosting Montezuma-Cortez High School JVs in the Mancos Performance Center. They start San Juan League right away as the Jays visit a good Nucla team on Sept. 7. The Lady Jay Invitational is slated all-day Sept. 9, featuring SJL defending champ Dolores plus Bayfield and Monticello.

Dolores, State Class 2A qualifier, visits on Sept. 12. A trip to Telluride is slated Sept. 15. A Dolores County game is set on Sept. 22. Norwood comes in on Sept. 23. A nonconference date against Monticello, Utah, is on the docket Sept. 26. A return game against Nucla is slated Sept. 29. The Jays visit Piedra Vista in Farmington on Sept. 30 for a nonconference match. The final nonconference contest is a home game against Bayfield on Oct. 6.