A King’s Fork High School girls’ volleyball team with a lot of new faces this year went the distance against visiting Indian River High School on Tuesday evening and won, 20-25, 25-13, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9.

“We started off slow, but we got it together the next few games,” Lady Bulldogs coach Sarah Porter said. In the third game, “Cydney Nichols had quite a few aces in a row that kind of pushed us to a win.”

The fourth game went back and forth before the Lady Braves finally prevailed, but aces from senior libero Kiana Boone helped King’s Fork take the fifth and deciding game.

The win improves the Lady Bulldogs to 1-1 on the year following their 3-1 season-opening loss to Hickory High School on Aug. 27.

Porter said trying to get the right mix of players on the court has been a challenge this year.

“We don’t have a lot of depth as far as hitters,” she said.

This is particularly true since senior outside hitter Madison Belcher went down with an ankle injury a couple of weeks ago.

King’s Fork lost seven players from last year’s team that finished 14-10, winning the Ironclad Conference regular season title and the conference tournament championship.

Outside hitters Taylor Harrell and Tiffany Cox graduated, while several others decided not to return to the team this year.

The Lady Bulldogs are shorter this season, with senior middle hitter Jazlyn Dunn the only six-footer on the team.

The 2015 roster features five seniors, five juniors and two freshmen.

Five of those players are returners, and Porter said, “I expect them to bring a lot to the table.”

They include senior outside hitter Latonia Thomas and her sister, junior outside hitter Latoya Thomas.

The sisters provide kills on offense, along with Dunn.

“She led the team in blocks last year,” Porter said of Dunn.

Junior Cydney Nichols, also a basketball and soccer star for King’s Fork, fills the important role of setter, and Porter relies heavily on what she brings to the team.

“Right now, she doesn’t leave the floor; she’s just a ball of energy,” Porter said. “She’s a good leader, she takes control of the floor.”

Kiana Boone took on a new position as the Lady Bulldogs’ libero, “but she’s not a stranger to playing the back row,” Porter said. “Now she’s just back there a lot more.”

The coach expects Boone to take control of the defense and be more vocal this year.

Senior defensive specialist Shakirrah Allen is “going to see a lot more time on the court,” the coach said, and freshman middle hitter Neecole Brown “works hard, she takes direction well and she uses what she learns out there on the court, so she’s coming along.”

King’s Fork is part of a new conference this year, with Churchland, Deep Creek, Great Bridge, Lake Taylor and Woodrow Wilson high schools for conference mates. Porter thinks her team should shine.

“I expect us to be in the top of our conference,” she said.

Her team fell in the second round of regionals last year after receiving a first-round bye.

“My goal and my expectation is to always improve on the previous year,” she said.

The Lady Bulldogs visited Western Branch High School on Wednesday evening and return to action Sept. 10 when they visit Great Bridge.