WISE - - With the first weekend of practice under their belt and their first full week underway, UVa-Wise volleyball head coach Kristen Salyer and redshirt senior Ciara Kain discussed the newcomers and the initial energy of the team as well as what they want to focus on this campaign.

"Our freshman have jumped in. I think they're starting to find their comfort a little bit," remarked Coach Salyer. "They bring a lot of athleticism to the floor to add to the returners."

The team will add four freshman and return 10 players from last season including redshirt senior Ciara Kain who makes her return this year after suffering an injury early last season.

As one of three seniors, Kain sees her leadership this year as a chance to set the tone for the future and make everyone around her better. The outside hitter led the Cavaliers in kills (369) in her junior year and was named to the All-Mountain East Conference second team at the conclusion of that season.

This season, Kain would like to not only get back to where she was, but to be even better. "I want to help make the program better and a goal for me is to get first team instead of second team," noted Kain. "So for me individually that would be my goal, and to lead in kills too, but I can't do that without my teammates."

Discussing her process of getting back on the floor, Kain notes that it was not easy but she is excited for what is ahead. "Summer was tough because it took a while to get back to where I was. I'm still not there but I'm working on it now – getting used to doing so many reps again because it's been a year since I've been able to do this many reps."

With the first match less than three weeks away, Coach Salyer's focus for her team this year is offense. "Last season I think that was something that we lacked and I think we've started off pretty strong this year," she stated. "I think we're off to a pretty good start. Obviously we have some things to work on, but we're getting better every day."

Coach Salyer sees promise with her offense this season with more depth across the net and versatile players to move around. "We have a couple of heavier arms and a little faster swings going on so that's very exciting to see on the floor."

On top of getting ready for the season, the Cavs have also bonded over various team activities including minute to win it, lip-sync battles, and hiking. "We're trying to do some things to make the newcomers feel more comfortable too," she commented. "It's hard to come in and jump straight into going to volleyball five hours a day and being away from home. I think it helps for them to see that we as a coaching staff can have fun too."

Heading into their inaugural season in the South Atlantic Conference, Coach Salyer is excited about what's to come for their first year. "I think the exciting thing about moving into the SAC is that there really is no expectation, no pressure," remarked Coach Salyer. "We are going to go in and compete and we're going to have a lot of fun doing it. Our main thing right now is to show up and compete every day, every play."

Kain agreed with Coach Salyer that with the move it is most important to give it their all this year. "Go in and give it 100%, win or lose. We get to play against really good teams and have that competition so it's really fun."

The 2019 volleyball campaign will commence Friday, Sep. 6 at the UNC Pembroke Invitational. Fans can view the complete 2019 schedule here and visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier volleyball news, statistics, complete schedule and more.