Jessica Biegert fondly remembers the last time she had seven seniors on her Kansas Wesleyan volleyball roster.
It was 2022 and the Coyotes finished 28-7 (second in the Kansas Conference at 10-2), won the conference postseason tournament and played in the NAIA's National Tournament Opening Round.
Four years later Biegert has a similar roster and hopes for similar results.
"It reminds me a lot of (former standout) Maddy Beckett's class where they played all four years and it finally paid off for them in their senior year," said Biegert who enters her seventh season at KWU this fall. "We're hoping to see a repeat in the cycle because this group were freshmen that year."
With seven returning seniors and a productive offseason Biegert is confident the Coyotes will be in the hunt for the KCAC title. Just two senior starters departed from last year's team - longtime setter Josie Deckinger and middle blocker Kyla Moore.
"I think this senior class really wants to hold the standard high," Biegert said. "We worked on accountability all spring which was very productive. I think they set the stance in the spring and now it's just getting the freshmen acclimated to our standards and our system."
After going 17-13 a year ago Biegert wants this year's team to be better in one key aspect.
"Mental toughness is going to be the big thing," she said. "We had the talent last year; we just mentally clinched at the wrong moment that were big momentum changers and it kind of took games from us."
KWU is led by three senior all-conference players - opposite hitter Rylee Serpan and outside hitters Kylie Harris and Gianna Adriaanse. Serpan ranked seventh in the KCAC with 3.18 kills per set, Harris was 10th (3.00) and Adriaanse 13th (2.78). Serpan had 289 total kills, Harris 288 and Adriaanse 275.
Serpan and Harris were named to the 2025 KCAC Preseason Team.
"Serpan made All-American her freshman year so hopefully we can reach that bar again her senior year," Biegert said. "They've all been all-conference players the last two years, so we have our strong core."
Finding a replacement for Deckinger after a 5½-year career is the challenge.
"Josie was big in leadership," Biegert said. "She's just one of those players you play for because she's such a great human being."
Three Coyotes are competing for the setter job. Sara Bebout and Blair Pennington are back from 2024 and are joined by Ryleigh Stuhlsatz who redshirted last season after transferring from Hutchinson Community College.
"Bebout was our backup setter last year," Biegert said. "She's a setter-hitter combo so we'll see if she can fill both roles. Pennington was a freshman last year and is a strong setter with a competitor mindset. Stuhlsatz got hurt early in the year so she's hungry after sitting out the whole year. We have three options and we'll let them battle it out."
Biegert is joined by assistant coaches Skylar Lane, Viet Nguyen and Natalie Foster. Foster is a newcomer to the staff after playing for the Orlando Valkyries in the Pro Volleyball Federation.
Biegert expects the KCAC to be balanced and competitive once again but isn't focused on it right now.
"We just worry about ourselves and that's enough," she said. "I don't want to waste my energy digging into them when I've got plenty on my own plate."
The Coyotes open the season August 23 with matches against College of Saint Mary and Hastings in the Hastings Classic and play Northwestern and Park on September 19 in Parkville, Mo. The first home match is against Benedictine at 11 a.m. September 27 inside Mabee Arena.
"We've got Northwestern and Park, who's always top 25," she said. "Benedictine is always really good, College of Saint Mary is a top 25 program and Hastings is good too, so the schedule is tough. We play (Division II) Fort Hays (September 6 in Hays). I always like to play a higher-level team, and I love playing them."
Biegert is ready to get started.