If Monday’s team camp was any indication, Free State High volleyball players are excited for the upcoming fall season.

More than 40 high schoolers showed up for first day of team camp at South Middle School, as the Firebirds jumped back into action with a four-hour workout. The camp will continue throughout the week.

“It’s awesome,” senior Morgan Noll said. “I haven’t really broken out my shoes and my knee pads since the end of club season so it’s good to be playing volleyball again with some of the girls we know and remember from last year.”

“I’m happy to be back,” sophomore Naomi Hickman added. “It’s fun to be with everyone. There’s a lot more freshmen than I thought would be here, so that’s nice.”

The freshman class made up a large portion of the 40 girls, and it should help them plenty as they prepare for August tryouts. The camp serves more as an opportunity for players to work on the basics and get back to playing volleyball. It’s also a chance for everyone to learn the competition, and what it takes to play at the high school level.

“The numbers are great,” FSHS coach Nancy Hopkins said. “There are some kids who are not here now and some of these kids won’t be here later because they’ll be going to nationals for their club team, which is great because you want them to play for teams that are successful. Then they learn to be successful. That’s always good.”

With a lot of freshmen at the camp, it also allows the upperclassmen to step into their new leadership roles.

“It’s definitely cool to get to watch kids kind of look up to me, whether it’s skill or leadership,” Noll said. “It’s fun to be like a role model, and then it kind of keeps me on a higher standard. I know kids are watching me and stuff. It’s good that I have that thought in the back of my head.”

The Firebirds have played about 30 minutes each day before conditioning workouts in the morning, but the team camp was their first real chance to get back on the court as a team.

Following last season’s 13-23 record, they are focused on improving on the court and bonding as a team.

“I’ve been happy because I’ve seen the girls I haven’t seen for awhile, and it’s good to get back out and play together again as a team,” senior libero Paige Corcoran said. “It just felt good to get reunited.”