As Panther volleyball gears up for another year, it is missing a distinct aspect that was present on last year’s team: seniors.

Last year’s team lost five seniors, and this year’s team only has two, setter Chrissie Albers and libero Brittany Wallace.

If the Panthers are going to succeed this year, Albers and Wallace will undoubtedly need to step up as leaders both on the court and off, as will the team’s other returning starters.

The Panthers are coming off a year in which several of their seniors stepped up big time as leaders, including outside hitter Alex Zwettler changing positions to libero when her team needed her, and not only did Zwettler make the transition, but she played well while still providing on-the-court leadership.

This year’s team is without Zwettler or any of the other seniors. However, they return junior middle hitter Alison Berens and sophomore outside hitter Reynae Hutchinson from last season’s starting lineup, in addition to several occasional contributors from last year’s team.

Having lost so many players, the team will obviously be young and inexperienced going into its season-opening tournament in Terre Haute, Ind., but if the team can mesh well and play together, the sky is the limit for its potential.

The tournament in Terre Haute promises to be easier on the travel schedule than last year’s pre-conference tournaments, which included trips to Harvard, Mass. and Lansing, Mich. for tournaments.

In addition to lightening the travel schedule, the team’s pre-season schedule will allow the players’ legs to stay fresher.

Also, by cutting out jet lag and reducing time immobilized on the road, this could be a seriously underappreciated advantage over last year’s schedule.

Another advantage the Panthers have over last year is spending another year under head coach Kate Price, who during her own collegiate playing career won a national championship at Penn State.

Having another year under the same coach can only help, and when that coach is a former national champion, it’s even better.

All things considered, the Panthers will face some challenges as far as replacing their graduated veterans, but they have several factors going for them looking to the 2011 season.

As cliché as it sounds, the key for this team will be playing together as a team, and following the leadership of the upperclassmen, they should have no problem reaching the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, which they fell just short of doing last year.

Once a team reaches the tournament, then, it’s anybody’s game, set and match.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu.