Free State High School volleyball coach Amy Hoffsommer, right, greets volleyball players during the Free State High School volleyball camp Monday, June 8, 2015 at FSHS.

First-year Free State High volleyball coach Amy Hoffsommer admitted she was a little nervous for the first day of team camp on Monday afternoon.

She just didn’t want to forget anything.

Hoffsommer, a former Lawrence High assistant who was hired after Nancy Hopkins retired last November, welcomed 45 girls to the FSHS courts for the first time this summer. A lot of the girls participated in weight training last week and earlier in the morning but were happy to step foot on the court and get back to playing.

Lauren Johnson practices during the Free State High volleyball camp Monday, June 8, 2015 at FSHS.

The Firebirds worked on the fundamentals of passing, serving and digging.

“It’s different, but it’s a good different,” senior Allie Knapp said. “I’m really excited. I think we’re more focused on specific things, which is going to help us in the long run. I like how (Hoffsommer) is doing one skill at a time and really giving us what she expects so we’ll know when we achieve the end result.”

Each day this week, the Firebirds plan to work on the basics to help everybody get on the same page.

“Camp in general because it’s not your tryout, ‘I made a team,’ it has to be more informative anyway,” Hoffsommer said. “As I told the girls today, we can’t skip anything at this point because our vocabulary has to be on the same page. My expectations have to be on the same page. We have to start ground-up.”

Allison Knapp works out with classmates during the Free State High School volleyball camp Monday, June 8, 2015 at FSHS.

Free State returns several varsity players from last year’s team, which finished 19-19 and earned a trip to the sub-state title game. Seniors Knapp, Rebekah Andersson, Erin Friedrichsen and Lauren Johnson led the team through stretches and drills.

Juniors Emma Barberena, Payton Gannaway and Naomi Hickman also were a part of the varsity rotation last season.

“It feels weird,” Friedrichsen said. “I definitely still feel like I’m a sophomore or a junior. When we were doing stretches at the end, we would forget to count because we would forget that we were leading them. It’s different, but it’s cool.”

Some of the girls at the team camp are still in the middle of their club volleyball seasons and hope the camp can help them work on a few skills.

“It’s a good change of pace,” Johnson said. “It’s good to have different coaches telling you different things. It makes you a better all-around player.”

Free State High School volleyball coach Amy Hoffsommer, right, greets volleyball players during the Free State High School volleyball camp Monday, June 8, 2015 at FSHS.

With their first practice under their new coach, the Firebirds were impressed by Hoffsommer’s organization and excitement to get started. Though there will be plenty of changes with different coaches, the first day ended with plenty of smiles.

“I’m super excited,” Andersson said. “There was a lot of positivity in the gym and stuff this year coming in with a new coach. I think it went really well.”

“I think they have done a tremendous job, the seniors in particular, in being open to a new experience,” Hoffsommer added. “(They’re) willing to maybe shed a few things they had learned in the past to follow what we are doing, and they have not provided any resistance. It’s been all positive, forward thinking and very supportive of me and very supportive of their team.”