There will be no surprising people this time. With 19 wins (tying a school record) and a playoff appearance last year, Hamline's volleyball team has already passed that stage.
 
Now comes the really tough part – handling some increased expectations and taking another step forward.
 
When the Pipers take to the court this weekend for four matches at the Viking Classic on the campus of Augustana (IL), they will already be light years ahead of where they were a year ago.  Second year head coach Becky Egan knows that is one sign of progress in the program. She will be looking for more this weekend. "Their volleyball IQ has improved," she said. "Their skill work is much more refined that it was at this time last year. We're starting in a better spot."
 
Last year, the Pipers caught fire down the stretch, winning seven of their last nine matches en route to a final 19-11 mark. They finished tied for fifth in the MIAC with a 6-5 standard, advancing to the first postseason berth since 2007.
 
A dozen faces return from that team – including four seniors who have been through the bad … and now the good … times. Egan is counting on their leadership to bring along the new faces as the 2014 season heats up.
 
Indeed, Stephanie Kaup (273 kills) and Caitlyn Gottwald (192) ranked second and third on the team in that department last year. Both are expected to be on the front wall again. Co-captains Lynsey Reimer and Paige Walters do more than just provide on-court maneuvers. They lead by example – a key ingredient to any team's success.
 
Reimer was the MIAC Co-Defensive Player Of The Year in 2013. Her 586 digs ranked third in the MIAC last year.  A repeat of those numbers would advance her from her current fifth place standings to being the career leader at HU for digs. "Her want is so strong. Her tenacity is also great," Egan said. "It can't be installed."
 
 Walters was last year's recipient of the Piper Award.  Egan said Walters earned the award "For being the player who best represents the Piper spirit. She always works hard and supports other players.  She celebrates our victories and accepts her role, no matter what the playing time or success was for her or the team."
 
The six-member junior class has four players – Katie Ayres, Micki Green, Michelle Mattke (pictured) and Jamie Rubbelke – who saw considerable action last year. Vassi Prattas has also been here for two seasons and may be ready to step and compete for playing time. Ayres and Mattke are outside hitters while Green and Rubbelke are defensive specialist. Prattas is one of several Pipers contending for the setter's role. (Last season's main setter, All-MIAC pick Molly Hurrle, is now an assistant coach.) The sixth junior, Gabriella Feldt, was a NJCAA All-American choice as a middle hitter at Itasca Community College last year.
 
There are nine few faces as well – some of whom may see action this weekend when the Pipers tangle with UW-River Falls and Aurora on August 29 and Benedictine and Knox the next day. "It's about finding the right rotation," she said. "We have had a good (training) camp. The intrasquads have been very competitive. They have worked hard."
 
HU doesn't open MIAC play until September 17 when they face Carleton at Hutton Arena. A year ago, HU was picked for 11^th in the annual coaches' preseason poll. Instead, they finished fifth. This year, the opposing MIAC coaches tabbed the Pipers to end up in 8^th place. But their aggregate point total of 60 wasn't that far behind St. Mary's, who drew the sixth slot with 70 points.
 
None of that will really matter much once league matches begin. "The nature of the beast is you get ready for conference play by playing tournaments," Egan observed. "More than anything, I want to see how they compete."
 
The memory of last year's late run that ended with a playoff loss at St. Benedict burns brightly with the returnees. "They absolutely understand the game better," Egan said. "They know how close we got last year. We're working to get back to the playoffs."
 
The road to that promised land starts this weekend in Illinois.