With just a week and a half of practice completed the Albert Lea volleyball team will enter the fray of the Big Nine Conference season Thursday when it travels to Rochester to face Century in the first match of the season.

If it feels a little sudden for volleyball to begin, it is. The Tigers had nearly two weeks of practice time before their first match last season and even scrimmaged a number of teams prior to the start of the season.

“It’s a very quick start,” said Albert Lea head coach Jamie Mauseth, who begins her first season as head coach.

The match has some added importance for Mauseth as she begins guiding the team in her first match as head coach.

“I’m nervous because I really want the girls to do well, but it’s such a short time span that we haven’t been able to work and get all the stuff I want to do before the first game,” she said. “They’re learning tons of new things.”

The Tigers will try to shake off a disappointing two-win season where the team went winless in the conference. Albert Lea will be tested immediately against the Panthers, who return nine seniors from a squad that finished 16-12 and advanced to the Section 1AAA semifinals last season.

“We have a ton of work to do. I’ve talked to the girls about that,” Mauseth said. “They’re all very determined, and they all want to have a winning season, and I told them we’re going to have to work harder than every other team out there. We have to come back and show them what Albert Lea can do.”

The Tigers were swept in every Big Nine match except one last season, but Mauseth said the group is very motivated, and she has been impressed with what she’s seen in practice thus far.

Albert Lea lost five seniors from last year and ushers in seven seniors who played significant time last season. Seniors Sarah Heijerman, Caylee Tennis, Erin Brick, Brittany Kelly, Kristine Kelly, Sarah Hundley, London Avery and Courtney Schnaith are back along with juniors Bethany Sekora, Emily Stoneking.

Mauseth has worked with the team on communication and court awareness in practice along with limiting mistakes.

“We’ll just do what we can do and, like I said, make as few mistakes as we can and let the other team make mistakes and see where it takes us,” she said.

The team has absorbed what Mauseth’s instruction and she believes the team may surprise people.

“I think this year I have really talented girls on my varsity squad,” Mauseth said. “I’m very impressed with how they’re doing, and I think that people are going to be surprised when they look and see how Albert Lea is doing this year.”