A year after being the dominant force in the Ironclad Conference, the Nansemond River High School girls’ volleyball team has faced a lot of uncertainty entering the 2014 season.

The Lady Warriors managed to edge out host Lakeland High School on Tuesday, though, 25-16, 25-22, 25-23, getting them back to .500 and continuing their run of success in the Ironclad Conference.

“They pulled it together,” Nansemond River coach Robin Smith said. “They’re starting to play more as a team instead of individuals, considering they only had three returning varsity players. The rest of them came up from (junior varsity), so they’re still trying to learn that routine and rotation.”

Eight players from the 2013 squad graduated in June, including major contributors like 6-foot-3-inch Tatyana Thomas and Rachel Kent.

Last year, the Lady Warriors went 18-3 overall and were undefeated in the Ironclad Conference, leading to their conference tournament title and their berth in the regional playoffs. They were eliminated in the regional semifinals by Grafton High School.

Nicole Giancola, who led the team to this success as coach, has since gone back to school at Hampton University for graduate work and is doing an internship there, working as an assistant coach of the Lady Pirates volleyball team.

Smith said the Lady Warriors started the season without a coach, but she now holds the title, beginning her first stint as a varsity volleyball coach. Performing double duty, she is also entering her ninth year as the JV coach.

Despite the instability of things early on and a roster of average height players, as well as those who are young and inexperienced, Smith is not lowering her expectations.

“I expect them to step up and continue their progress from last year,” she said. “I expect them to win conference.”

Two of the players she expects to help lead the effort had strong nights on Tuesday.

“Morgan (Lowers) had 17 kills,” Smith said. “Camryn Holt came up with 20 assists.”

Lowers, an outside hitter and one of only two seniors on the roster, brings key ingredients to the team.

“It is not her first sport — she plays softball, she’ll go to school for softball — but she’s got the enthusiasm,” Smith said. “And she’s got the skillset.”

Holt, a junior setter, “goes after every ball to set it, and she’s not only setting, she had eight kills last night,” Smith said.

Junior Maddie McGrath has been a strong addition to the team at the libero position. She did not play last year but has previously played on the JV level.

On Tuesday, she had about 23 serve-receives that were on target to the setter, 15 total good serves and four kills.

Sophomore Savannah Miller, faced with the daunting task of replacing Tatyana Thomas, is learning about optimal positioning to make blocks in the middle.

Nansemond River (2-2, 1-0) visits Oscar Smith High School this evening.