The Fresno City College Women’s Volleyball team kicked off their season two weeks ago, facing some of the top volleyball programs in Northern California.

“It has been trial by fire,” said Head Coach Tracy Ainger-Schulte. “We have had to take on some of the top teams right off the bat. There are some good teams in the north right now.”

The Rams come onto the court with one of the youngest teams in recent years, with eight of the 12 players on the roster being freshmen. Only two members of the team are returning athletes – Alex Paredes, and Michelle Clark will serve as the experience on the court this season.

Paredes is a former First-Team Fresno Bee All-Star out of Central Valley Christian. Paredes received All-Conference honors at the end of last season, and was also selected as a First-Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Clark comes from local volleyball program Reedley High School where she had an outstanding career as a setter and continues to serve that same role for the Rams today.

This group of athletes is also one that is regarded by the coaching staff as a group that is very physically talented. Some of the strengths according to Dickson are passing and hitting. “We have a lot of offensive weapons,” said Ainger-Schulte.

“There’s a lot of talent out there. That’s for sure,” she said.

Although there are only two players from the previous season’s team, the Rams are looking to continue their success and work towards the goals that they have already established for this season.  “We won’t look at it as a total success until we have that state title,” said Ainger-Schulte.

As far as player expectations go, Ainger-Schulte and the rest of the coaching staff expect a lot from the two returning sophomores, yet more of the expectations will be on the incoming freshmen. According to Ainger-Schulte, what the coaching staff is looking for is the way in which this group will buy into the program and understand what it is all about.

According to some players the bar has been set pretty high for this season. “We want to go undefeated,” said freshman Kamiya Dickson.

So far this pre-season the Rams focused not only on the game itself, but also on the way in which the team is coming together. “We are working together well,” said freshman Celina Huerta. “At first it was not that great, but now it is,” she says.

Last season the Rams ended the season with an overall 24-3 record. The team also added another Central Valley Conference title to their list of accomplishments by going 14-0 in CVC play. The Rams’ season came to an end late in the playoffs with a loss to Santa Rosa City College.

In CVC play last season the only team that was close to competing with the Rams was two games behind in conference record (College of the Sequoias) at 12-2 and behind as well in the number of wins and losses that they had at 16-5.

This season the team on the horizon that seems to have the best chance at possibly upsetting the Rams sometime during CVC play is Porterville College.

“I know their coach is confident, we saw a little from them early on,” said Ainger-Schulte. “They are pretty athletic, and they are always gunning for us.”