The Barclay Bears volleyball team took the floor for the first time in their 2015 season when they made the short trip to  Sterling College (Sterling, Kan.) on Tuesday evening. Although it was just a scrimmage against the Warriors junior varsity program, it was an excellent opportunity for the Bears to work against another opponent after two weeks of preparation under new head coach Larry Lewis.

After missing out on the 2014 season all together, the Bears have bounced back with a deep, talented and youthful roster. Seniors RaeLyn Epp (Weatherford, Okla.), Morgan Standard (Omaha, Neb.) and Kalyn Switzer (Weatherford, Okla.) will lead the way for the Bears this season. They will be accompanied by a solid recruiting class highlighted by trio of freshmen hitters in Allison Cochran (Platteville, Colo.), Kaylie Fruh (Placentia, Calif.) and Alyssa Swonger (Pratt, Kan.). Balancing the Bears attack are transfer players sophomore Carly Barron (Aiken, S.C.) and sophomore Mycha Owens (Cullison, Kan.).

Although the Bears had some struggles offensively on this night, the positives far outweighed the areas of improvement. The scrimmage revealed that the Bears already have some of the intangibles of a competitive team such as their scrappiness and enthusiasm. They seem destined to only improve as the season progresses.

Coach Lewis commented, “I was very pleased with our overall effort, and we were solid on both serving and serve receive.” The Bears only missed on two serves the whole night.

The Bears will open up their season at home on Saturday afternoon against NCCAA Division II Southwest Region rival Dallas Christian College (Dallas, Texas). The match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.