BERNE — The Berne-Knox-Westerlo girls’ volleyball team will rely on some fresh faces this season.

The Lady Bulldogs have only three returning players from last year’s team and they have gotten off to a slow start as they are 1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play.
"We have a very inexperienced team," said BKW Coach Cathy Allen. "We have three returning players from last year’s team. I have four that are not playing this year. One moved and the other three chose not to play. We’ve got a few holes in our game plan."

The Bulldogs did beat Canajoharie in a WAC Southern Division game on Monday, 21-25, 25-8, 25-15, 25-13. BKW lost to Fonda-Fultonville on Sept. 9 and lost to Hoosic Valley in a non-league game on Sept. 7.

The three returning players for the Lady Bulldogs are all seniors and the team’s captains.

Christine Sikule returns to full strength after injuring her knee during basketball season last winter. Also returning are twins Ashley and Casey Renko, who moved from Florida last year.

The Bulldogs have six juniors on the roster: Meg Creed; Meg Leonard; Tarcy Williams; Keri Rossback; Heather Plouffe; and Danielle Theilsen, a new student from Wisconsin.

The lone sophomore on the team is Kristen Spinnato.

"Working hard"
"We’ve been working hard," Allen said. "Every day I see improvement. We lost to Hoosic Valley, which is a very good team. But I saw improvement with Fonda. In a couple of games, the scores were close."

The Bulldogs lost the first set to Canajoharie on Monday, but came back in impressive fashion.
"We won the next three fairly easily," Allen said. "We’re coming. We’re starting to do some good things. They are learning to play with each other. We’re starting to gel. We are learning a new defense. They are learning to play with each other and trust the person next to them. That is the hardest part in volleyball."

The volleyball team at BKW has had success — being one of the top teams in the Southern Division of the WAC — in the recent past and it could continue as long as the team keeps working hard and improving, Allen said.
"They will be in a lot of games," the coach said. "The three seniors have a great deal of potential. They can make things happen. They are good at encouraging the younger players. Meg Leonard played club in the winter and has stepped up as a middle hitter and done a great job.
"They are starting to come along," Allen added. "We’re hoping to do well in the division. I think we can at least be in the top three in the division. That’s one of our goals. With the inexperience, I start wondering how well we’ll do, then they surprise me and do a great thing. We should do all right."

The young players have brought an enthusiasm to the team, said Allen.
"This is a fun club," Allen said. "This will be an enjoyable season. They are fun to be around. They are a pleasure to coach."