The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ volleyball team is once again in for a strong year.

It is yet another season where the Lady Saints volleyball program is expected to be among the upper echelon of teams. NSA is coming off of a 2018 season when they fell just short of the state title game. It was the second year in a row that the Lady Saints finished in the state semifinals.

However, with what NSA has returning, they are expecting an even stronger season in 2019.

“The girls are looking really strong,” Coach Robyn Ross said. “This has been a really fun preseason for us. Just watching where they were at now as opposed to last season and seasons prior has been great. We are already further along at this point then we have been the past couple of seasons.”

The expectation within the Lady Saints team is just to be at their best. They know very few teams can beat them when they are at their best. As long as they are able to focus on what they want as far as their game plan, the success follows. With the age and experience the Saints return this season, they believe the game plans will be easier to execute.

NSA usually packs a smaller punch in terms of height. Even though they expect to have just a bit more height this season, it will still be under the average height of their opponents.

But what they lack in height, they make up for in talent. Among those returning for the Lady Saints are Addy Greene and Rylee Bono. Greene and Bono, along with Livian Matthews, were All-State selections for the Lady Saints last season.

Last season, the Lady Saints took a 3-2 loss to Fredericksburg Christian School in the state semifinals. The Lady Saints are hoping to get back over the hump into the state title game, where they last made an appearance during the 2016 season.

“When we compete, we want to be the best,” Ross said. “We absolutely expect to be there at the top this season, because that’s where we work so hard to be. So, we are looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this season.”

NSA will play a couple of games this week, starting off with a game against Norfolk Academy on the road at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. This weekend, they will head up to Richmond to compete in a showcase.