Ballard girls volleyball coach Tami Reese is looking for a bump in performance from her team this year. Hopefully some spikes and kills too.

Reese heads into her ninth year as the varsity coach at Ballard. The Beavers finished 8-7 and dropped their first two games in the playoffs in 2004, but Reese is looking for bigger things from her team this year.

"We lost some good players, but we've got some key players coming back," Reese said. "We've really been coming together as a team lately. The girls have a great work ethic."

Key for Ballard will be the play of the squad's three captains: seniors Selena Voelker (outside hitter), Karlin Castor-Peck (outside hitter), and Erin Baumler (setter). Another top returnee is senior Kim Geddes, a middle hitter.

"Karlin and Serena are three-year varsity starters," Reese said. "They set the tone. Our captains are really solid for us."

Other Beavers varsity players include senior setter Christine Lind, junior Alice Brown (defensive specialist), junior Chelseigh Barks (middle hitter), and four sophomores: Katie Miller (opposite hitter), Molly Moore (outside hitter), Julia Canty (backside defender), and Risha Schildkraut (defensive specialist).

"It's a real coachable team," Reese said. "The new players have come together with the veterans--everyone has bonded very well." Reese added that every player on the varsity has participated in club volleyball during the off-season, which has raised the level of play on the Ballard squad.

Reese 's coaching assistants are Al Lowe, Karin Hoover, and Ted Young. Lowe and Young coached the 37-year-old Reese when she played at Ballard in the 1980s.

"Every year gets better," she said.