Colfax volleyball team cranks up for 2016

Coach Doering introduces players on this year's volleyball team during last week's “Meet the Bulldogs” session at McDonald Park in Colfax. A total of 23 girls are on the roster.

It will be a case of start all over again for Colfax volleyball players as they embark on another fall campaign. Coach Sue Doering and crew will crank it up after rolling through a 31-4 season last year on the way to a third straight title in the 2B championships at the Sun Dome.

The Bulldogs graduated seven seniors off last year's title team with a lot of them coming from back court slots in part of the mainstay for Colfax offense last year.

Doering has seven members back on the roster from last year with three returning starters.

The grads included Olivia Mellor, Scout Cai, Morgan Lord, Sidney Sheer, Ashtyn Aune, Kylie Gronning and Katelynn Scholz.

Included among the returnees will be Carmen Gfeller, who earned the team's MVP award as a sophomore last year.

Four seniors back in the action will be Taylor Garcia, Parker Warwick, Sarah Kraut and Lexie Smith.

Juniors on the team this year will be Gfeller, Abbie Miller, Piper Cai and Greta Geier.

Sophomores on varsity will be Madi Cox, Kylie Kackman and Rachel Brown.

Miller and Piper Cai were co-winners of the most improved award last year for their progress as sophomores.

Among players in the volleyball lineup this year will be Johanna Stoller, an exchange student from Germany. Stoller has played volleyball for school and club teams in Germany and arrives in Colfax with a lot of experience in the game. She is from Zechta, a small town located about two hours from Hamburg.

"She knows how to play the game," coach Doering noted.

Standing at 6'1'', Stoller adds height to an already tall Colfax team.

"We do have a lot of size on the team this year, but we're going to have to find out how we're going to use it," Doering noted.

The aim right now is for the team to "settle in" to the roles they will need to fill for the upcoming campaign.

Action will start Saturday morning with the Colfax jamboree. Teams from Pullman, Garfield/Palouse and St. John/Endicott will be in the lineup.

Format for the jamboree will be for the varsity teams to play two games with each of the other entrants. Jayvee and C squad play will be part of the action.

Tuesday Colfax will host Genesee, the lone small school team to defeat Colfax in last year's run to the title. Genesee has already been in action with Idaho's earlier start in the sports action, and they are expected to be a tough foe for the opener.

They dropped Colfax with a 15-13 decider in the fifth game of the non-league clash last year.

The only other defeats sustained by Colfax were to teams from schools in larger classifications which were booked in tune-up games or in crossover action in Spokane.

First league action for the Bulldogs will be a Northwest Christian visit here Tuesday, Sept. 13.