photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Sophomore Rael Simien, right, goes for a kill against Topeka Hayden during the LHS volleyball opening night on September 3 in Lawrence.

Lawrence volleyball coach Deborah Newkirk wants to see her team pull off some upsets early this season.

Newkirk has been impressed with the mental resolve of the Lions, and in the second year with Newkirk leading the program, she believes her team can sneak up on opponents and make a statement early in the season.

“I know we have the ability and the formula — if we put it all together early is the big question,” Newkirk said. “Let’s say we do, the sky is the limit with this crew. This group is confident. There’s not a lot of second-guessing going on.”

The Lions learned a lot on the fly in 2024 and are more versatile for it. Players moved to positions they hadn’t played before or weren’t used to, and it has helped the team field more depth within the roster.

Experience together has played a part in the preseason excitement for the team. With established relationships between players and coaches and an understanding of expectations, the team is about a month ahead of where they were this time last year.

“First and foremost, not only are our systems in place but relationships have been made, our trust factor is higher than it has ever been,” Newkirk said. “We’re precise and clear — a little less teaching on how we do things initially. We’ve been moving at a faster pace.”

Senior Anabel Austin-Berger said the team’s relationship with their coach has only improved in the last year and that everyone “understands what she’s saying, and we can all communicate with her.”

“(Newkirk) brings a positive side to volleyball,” senior Kennedy Glasgow added. “She’s going to keep us accountable, and she set that bar over the summer. Last year she had such a strong impact, and it’s led into this season.”

The players’ and coaches’ experience with each other made practices easier as the Lions start building on-court chemistry. Glasgow said the team’s offseason conditioning work helped strengthen those relationships, which have already paid dividends in the team’s first practices.

The Lions have five seniors, a junior and five sophomores on the varsity roster. Despite the heavy reliance upon the younger sophomores, both Newkirk and the seniors on the team have been impressed with the group’s development and leadership already. Austin-Berger said the sophomores have been vocal in getting the team ready to practice and in keeping everyone accountable. To Newkirk, this wasn’t a surprise.

“They knew as freshmen … the writing was on the wall,” Newkirk said of the sophomore class needing to play varsity roles. “There have been no surprises. You can walk in our gym and recognize that our younger players were going to step up.”

As a team, the Lions have a scrappy play style. Players are willing to sacrifice their body for a ball during practices, which shows to each other their dedication to playing for one another. It goes a long way to building trust, which is a necessary component of defense.

“Every single girl on this team can do everything,” Glasgow said. “In certain times where we’re down and we need to put someone in, we can get it done. On hustle plays when we just need to get a ball up, we can get a ball up.”

That mindset comes from the team’s mental resolve. The Lions are a level-headed, mature group that can stay focused no matter the situation. As the team hopes for a strong start to the season, that maturity is an asset.

“This is one of the top five teams I’ve ever coached, and I come to that with their relentless effort,” Newkirk said. They’re mature, they play high-end club ball. They know how to stand up straight, get the information and move forward.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

The Lawrence varsity volleyball team huddles together before a practice at Lawrence High School on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025.