photo by: Bobby Nightengale

Veritas Christian Academy senior fall sports athletes from left: Brienne Billings, volleyball; Hayden Pine, football.

Veritas Christian School’s fall sports season officially kicked off Tuesday when its volleyball team won in straight sets in its season opener.

The Eagles are hopeful they can carry that momentum throughout the upcoming months. Here is a look at Veritas’ fall sports programs:

Football

After posting a 6-4 record last season, Veritas Christian’s football team will be reloading with several new faces in key spots.

The Eagles lost a large group of seniors, but will be led by linebacker/tight end Hayden Pine, quarterback/defensive back Michael Rask and lineman Calvin Koch.

First-year coach Brett Temple, who was the team’s defensive coordinator last year, also hopes to see a big impact from linebacker/tight end Rondre Diederich and running back/linebacker Matthew Fred.

“Our biggest challenge this season will be the first few games,” Temple said. “Losing six seniors that all had a huge role in our success last season will be tough. We will have to see who can step up and be the leader of this team.”

The Eagles open the season against Kansas City (Kan.) East Christian at 7 p.m. Friday at home.

Volleyball

Veritas volleyball players are confident they can improve from last season after finishing second at the Kansas Christian Athletic Association state tournament with a 21-17 record.

One of the bonuses is they will have plenty of experience on the court. The Eagles return seniors Brienne Billings and Alyssa Krestan along with junior Chloe Holland, setter Emma Wilson and newcomer Emma Boulton.

“She has a way of taking over a game and bringing the other girls with her,” eighth-year coach Kyle Billings said of Holland. “She has a huge arsenal to draw from. Her serves, her hitting, her defense … she has worked hard to become one of the elite players in our league.”

Kyle Billings said his team will be challenged in the McLouth Invitational, which is played in the first weekend in September.

“We only lost one player from last year and we have gained a few big new contributors,” Kyle Billings said. “Finishing as strong as we did at the end of the season and having the same core players with another year of experience should yield great results.”

The Eagles will play in a triangular at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Eagle Heights.