The Pike County Lady Bulldog volleyball team is ready to transition from practice mode into game mode.

“We had a really good summer, summer workouts were great,” said head coach Shea Driggers said. “We started practice off strong in early August. We have been working really hard and we are just ready to get the season started.”

The Lady Bulldogs will be led in 2015 by four seniors: Laken Maulden, Kristie and Taylor Ward and Hope Ellis.

“They have been a part of this program for years going back to seventh- and eight= graders,” Driggers said. “Every day they get their team together and have leadership talks. They pick them up and get them ready for practice because some days they just don’t want to be here, and my seniors do.”

The summer practices and workouts were a key piece of the summer schedule for Driggers and the Bulldogs. “We had summer workouts four days a week,” Driggers said. “Once we hit practice in early August we hit the floor hard, so we are ready to go.”

The Lady Bulldogs 2015 schedule will feature teams new to Driggers and Pike County.

“We have some new schools added to our schedule this year, and some schools that we played last year that we are not going to play this year,” Driggers said. “We have a lot of tri-matches and we added a tournament this year. I think they need to see teams that are more experienced, so they can become more experienced.”

While many teams consider hitting or passing as their strong point, the Lady Bulldogs see the closeness and team play as the key heading into the season.

“We are more like a family. All these girls play the same sports together,” Driggers said.

“The togetherness on this team is great.”

The Lady Bulldogs begin the season on August 27 in a tri-match with Ariton and Headlend.

“I want to continue to work on teamwork and togetherness,” Driggers said. “If we don’t have that then we don’t have a team.”