From left, Lawrence High volleyball players Mary Coldsnow, Lillian Schonewise, Kiely Mosiman, Jasmyn Turner and Carrie Klemencic have been playing year-round in preparation for the start of the 2009 season, which starts Sept. 10.

Balls will hit the floor, serves will clip the net. But when the 2009 Lawrence High volleyball team makes a mistake, it won’t be because of a lack of focus, passion or dedication.

The bar has been raised at LHS and it has become clear that the part-time volleyball player probably won’t cut it anymore.

That’s why Lions coach Stephanie Magnuson, set to enter her third season in charge of the program, is ecstatic about the group of returning die-hards who will hit the floor in a matter of weeks.

“This is the most returning experience I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Magnuson said. “And I can’t tell you how helpful that is. These girls play year-round and that’s extremely important because in volleyball, like in other sports, your skills deteriorate if you don’t use them.”

Using their skills has not been a problem for seniors Jasmyn Turner and Carrie Klemencic as well as juniors Mary Coldsnow, Kiely Mosiman and Lillian Schonewise, a fearsome fivesome that was instrumental in helping the Lions qualify for the Class 6A state tournament after a dismal regular season last year.

All five play the sport they love 12 months a year and all of them expect their devotion to pay off this season.

“It’s not just the skills that you retain by playing year-round,” junior setter Mosiman said. “But how you play on the court, positioning, awareness, just knowing where your teammates are.”

Mosiman, a part-time setter for the Lions as a sophomore, fine-tuned her court awareness in club ball with Coldsnow and Schonewise by her side. Playing together for the elite-level Topeka Swat club team during the past nine months went a long way toward elevating the level of play expected at LHS. It also did wonders for the confidence and camaraderie of the five returners.

“It’s really reassuring to know that we’re all very passionate about the game,” Coldsnow said. “That helps us when we’re out on the court. Everybody’s been working really hard and I think we’re all excited to work hard together as a team.”

Doing so could be easier than ever, especially for Magnuson. Instead of spending the first couple of weeks of fall practices in refresh mode, she’ll be able to jump right in to the meaty portion of her game plan.

“That’s a huge advantage,” Magnuson said. “I don’t have to stress the fundamentals and techniques as much. I get to get down to the LHS-specific part of volleyball, which is a lot of fun.”

Although their non-stop attention to the game stands to benefit LHS, the girls say they don’t spend hours upon hours in the gym specifically for the success that comes with it. For many of them, they inhabit gymnasiums and travel nation-wide on a near-weekly basis because they live for the thrill of a monster kill, a jaw-dropping dig or an unreturnable serve.

“I just love playing,” Turner said. “And I love it that the rest of this team loves playing, too. It makes me have more confidence in them, knowing that they play year-round and are serious about it.”

Turner is the only one of the bunch who dabbles in other sports. In the winter she plays for the LHS basketball team and during the past two springs she has played softball. Throughout it all, volleyball remained at the forefront of her mind.

“In softball, every time I get back out there I feel like I can’t remember how to play,” Turner said. “With volleyball, it’s almost like a sixth sense.”

Receiving serve and timing were the responses most often given when this group was asked what elements of the game fall apart fastest during an extended layoff. Since both can be difficult to regain and can spoil an entire season if not recovered, breaks in the action have been few and far between.

“I think the most time I took off was a week, maybe two,” Schonewise said. “You have to have a little time to recoup. But it does take longer to get back into the swing of things after a break.”

The Lions are just 12 days away from the start of what expects to be a promising season. Although she looks forward to the start of every season, Magnuson admitted that there’s something special about the beginning of 2009.

“It was a pleasant surprise that the girls were calling me on a weekly, almost daily, basis all summer because they wanted to be in the gym,” Magnuson said. “They have the taste of state last year still in their mouths and they believe in themselves and have dedicated themselves to volleyball.”

Klemencic said she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m really glad we have so much returning talent coming back,” she said. “Throughout the offseason we’ve all been working really hard to figure out what we need to work on and we’ve had time to perfect it. Now it’s time to put it to use to represent our school.”