It’s going to be a season of fresh starts and new beginnings for the Powell High School volleyball team, with a new head coach and plenty of new faces on the varsity squad.

After four seasons as the freshman and JV volleyball coach at PHS, Powell native and former Lady Panther Tasha Miller has taken the reins of the varsity squad. Miller replaces coach Randi Bonander, who stepped down this spring.

The Lady Panthers are now in their second week of practice and will head south Friday for the season-opening Riverton Invitational. With the loss of nine seniors from last year’s squad and only two players returning with actual varsity experience, Miller will have to rely on youth to rebuild the program.

“I am very impressed with the hard work and effort the girls have been putting into each practice,” Miller said. “There is a very positive energy in the gym that I hope continues throughout the season. As a coach, it’s exciting to know that I have a group of girls that are willing to work from day one.”

Last year’s senior-laden squad finished with a perfect 6-0 record in the 3A Northwest quadrant and a fifth-place finish at state. Rachel Bonander, Aubrie Stenerson and Hartly Thorington earned All-Conference honors, while teammates Devon Curtis and Natalie Ostermiller are now on the roster at Northwest College.

Only seniors Gabi Metzler and Sabrina Shoopman logged varsity time on the court last year, though many of the players from the 2017 JV team that went 27-1-1 are now on the varsity roster.

“We only have two players that had any varsity time last year, so I’m hoping that all of my seniors will step up and lead like I know they are capable of,” Miller said. “They all bring something to the court that our team counts on, and it will be exciting to watch them fill their roles throughout the season.”

As for her younger players, Miller said she’s been impressed with this year’s freshmen, calling them “a force.”

“They’ve brought a lot of hustle to the court,” she said.

After opening the season Friday and Saturday at the Riverton Invite, the Panthers then head to Cody on Friday, Sept. 6 for the Montana/Wyoming Border War. Powell then hosts Thermopolis on Sept. 12, and will play at the Rawlins Invite Sept. 13-14.

Trips to Lander, Worland and Lovell follow, before the team returns home for a cross-county battle against Cody Sept. 26.

The Class 3A West regional tournament is set for Nov. 1-2 at Lander, with the state tournament set for Nov. 7-8 at Casper.

“I’m just so impressed with the girls’ hustle and work ethic,” Miller said. “I am excited to see them grow over the season and have all of their hard work pay off. These girls have a lot of drive and are capable of great things. I hope they maintain a growth mindset and continue to push themselves and their teammates.”

A three-time All-Conference and All-State selection for the Lady Panthers, Miller was a 2004 PHS graduate. She moved back to Powell in late 2013, and volunteered to coach club volleyball that following spring. In fall of 2015, she was asked to lead that same group of players as the freshman coach at PHS; she became the head JV coach in 2016 and officially hired as the head coach in June.