Despite a winless record at the moment, the Lakeland High School girls’ volleyball team is staying confident.

Though they remain winless, the Lady Cavs’ record doesn’t tell the full story. Lakeland is a 3A school and is the smallest in its district, so the regular season schedule can be a bit difficult. However, that does not mean the team cannot make progress.

From the beginning of the season until now, Lady Cavs coach Jaclyn Smith believes she has seen significant progress from her team — most importantly cohesiveness.

“They have gotten to know each better, which helps them play together,” Smith said. “Just the spirit of the team has grown since the beginning of the season.”

Smith believes playing a top level of volleyball competition in the Southeastern District has helped the team.

“We have been able to be competitive against most of our opponents,” Smith said. “Losing by five points to teams like Indian River really help the confidence of our team. The way the girls have been hitting and blocking has been greatly improved. I hadn’t expected any of the girls to be hitting and blocking as they have been.”

Despite their record, the Lady Cavs will be in the 3A playoffs and will get a chance for the first time this season to face schools in the 3A division as well. When the time comes, Smith thinks it will be interesting to see how Lakeland matches up against other 3A teams.

As the team heads into postseason play, Smith wants to see her team play with more aggression. She sometimes believes the team can become tentative. With more aggression and confidence, it can lead to some good things for the Lady Cavs.

Lakeland will face I.C. Norcom High School at 5 p.m. Thursday for the last game of the regular season.