Leesburg, Fla. – How do you follow up the best season in your program's history? That is the question for the Lake-Sumter State College volleyball team heading into the 2019 season.

2018 was a season full of "firsts" for the Lakehawks volleyball program. The first District Championship, the first trip to a National Tournament and the school's first All-America selection in Emma Gray. Well, the calendar has turned and Gray, along with five other sophomores, have moved on. This team looks poised to make another run at a District title with the season opener coming Wednesday night, on the road, against Santa Fe College.

Talyn Allard is the team's top returning player from a year ago having played in all 30 matches. The outside hitter led the team with 321 kills and 364 points as a freshman. Allard was also selected to the All-Tournament Team at the District Championships last season. Returning defensive specialist, Amber Schwartz saw a lot of playing time in the 2018 season collecting 212 digs in 96 sets.

The team will be looking to 6'1" sophomore, Hailey Franklin to take a big step forward in her second season. During her rookie campaign, Franklin notched 113 kills, 28 digs and 34 blocks. Kitana Lim, Star Lakin and Olivia Diggs will also look to increase their time on the court and make an impact for this team as sophomores.

New faces from different places also appear on the roster as sophomores. Ember Oglesby is now a two sport athlete at Lake-Sumter, having spent her freshman year playing softball. Oglesby boasted 82 kills and 25 blocks in 22 matches as a senior at Lecanto High School in 2017. A transfer from St. John's River State College, Skyler Martin competed in 32 matches for the Vikings with 145 kills and 188 points. Another former Viking, Amari Owens, is excited to be back on the court after taking a year off from playing.

Lake-Sumter opens up Sun-Lakes Conference play September 11 in Palatka against St. John's River State College. The top two teams from the conference last year, LSSC and Pasco-Hernando, will meet up for the first time September 25 in Leesburg. The regular season will conclude with Sophomore Day against Eastern Florida State October 25.

You can follow all of the action this season with stats, social media and up to the minute information at www.Lakehawksports.com.