“We have more weapons on offense than we’ve ever had before,” he said. “We have several players who could lead us in kills. It’s nice from a flexibility standpoint. We can focus our attack on an opponents’ weakness rather than at its strength.”

Sophomore Lindsay Confer (so. Wingate/Bald Eagle Area) could find herself at the top of that list, as she was last season, leading KU with 417 kills.

Junior Katie Miller (jr. Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) and sophomore Kelsey Nester (so. Catasauqua/Catasauqua) will join Confer as outside hitters on offense, bringing their combined 618 kills from last season. Miller, the only junior on the senior-less team, had 323 kills 82 blocks last season, while Nester had 295 kills and a team-best 135 blocks. Miller was named to the All-PSAC East Second Team.

Sophomore Danielle Ozment (so. Reading/Holy Name) also is expected to provide some punch for the KU attack on the outside.

Gump also expects his incoming freshmen to step in and contribute right away, like last year’s rookies, leading the Golden Bears to second place in the PSAC East with an 8-2 divisional record.

Katie Lutz (fr. Greencastle/Greencastle-Antrim), Brittni Speck (fr. Hesston/Huntingdon) and Cali Snell (fr. York/York Suburban) will all get a chance to play at middle-blocker for KU.

“All three are really good players and we’re going to look to get them on the floor,” Gump said.

The fourth incoming freshman, Lindsey Smith (fr. Hanover/Delone Catholic), will settle into the starting libero position. She’ll be joined on defense by second-year player Catie Leahy (so. Collegeville/Perkiomen Valley) to give the Golden Bears a solid defensive foundation.

Sophomores Jamie Celia (so. Douglassville/Daniel Boone) and Alex Thomas (so. Quakertown/Quakertown) will be the team’s setters. Celia started in the setter position in nine matches last season, leading KU to an 8-1 record. Celia was second on the team in digs with 401 and second in assists with 311. She led the team in service aces with 60.

“Jamie had that number and she didn’t start to serve aggressively until the second half of the season,” Gump said.

Thomas played in 22 games, recording 84 assists, 28 digs and 19 service aces.

Other letter-winners returning from last season are sophomores Megan O’Connell (so. Horsham/Hatboro-Horsham), Nora Alexander (so. Plymouth Meeting/Plymouth-Whitemarsh) and Jenn Zook (so.Reedsville/Indian Valley). O’Connell and Alexander will add depth to the defense, while Zook can play any of the front row positions.

Gump’s goals for his youthful team are to win the PSAC East and make a third straight trip to the NCAA Championship. The conference will be more challenging with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst, who will join the PSAC West and the Mid-Atlantic Region, pushing former Western Division powerhouse Lock Haven into the East.

The Golden Bears open the season with the KU Classic on Aug. 29-30 at Keystone Hall. KU will open up with a match against Mercy at 5 p.m. Aug. 29. On Aug. 30, the Golden Bears will face Virginia State at 10 a.m. and Stonehill at 4:30 p.m.