ALBANY — Scott Smice returns to lead the Comets this year, with previous coach Sydney Pitney stepping away after last season. Albany went 5-23 a year ago, including a 3-9 record in the Six Rivers East, but the final numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“As the season went on, the team got closer and were playing their best volleyball at the end,” said Smice, who was Pitney’s assistant. “Our goals would be to improve on last season — be competitive each match. We want to play our best volleyball each night, leaving it all on the court.”

The Comets graduated two all-conference players from last year: Brianna Dahl and Payton Firth. Replacing their talent on the court might be difficult in and of itself, let alone the leadership they brought to the table. Filling those leadership roles include a talented group of underclassmen.

Juniors Alana Durtschi and Myah Johnson are players that can play all around the rotation. In fact, Durtschi led the Comets in several statistical categories last fall as a sophomore. Anna Ellinger is a sophomore middle hitter that lettered a year ago, and junior Rachel Wildt also had the versatility to fill a whole at any position on the floor.

Newcomers that will likely slide right in to a rotation spot include junior Avary Briggs, a quick-learning hitter, and sophomore setter Ellie Modaff. In all, the program has just one senior, eight juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen.

“Losing a dynamic hitter and setter, we will need for some players to step up and step out of our comfort zones to really improve and be competitive this season. We are young, so our improvement will come the more we play together,” Smice said.

Smice said serving should be a strength for the Comets, and the defense should be consistently good, as well as the hustle to keep the ball in play. However, replacing the role of dynamic hitter/setter combination might take a while in order to get the timing right.

He also picked defending league champion Monticello as having the target on its back this season, and for Pecatonica and Barneveld to be the next two teams to watch in the standings.

“They are great programs. There also may be some sleeper teams, too,” Smice said.