Three head coaches in three years can bring some instability to a program, even if it has a solid foundation.

For some of the seniors on the Brentsville District varsity volley team, that's exactly what they've had to go through. Softball coach Amy Beard took the reigns this year to lead the Tigers one year after Marsha Hermes replaced long-time mainstay Bill Lynn at the helm of the program.

While Brentsville's record (1-6) entering this week suggested the team is in the midst of a rebuilding season, Beard and company are working on to having everything settled down by the time district games start next week.

"We're really trying to get them to lead by example and make sure they're talking on the floor and if somebody makes a mistake, say 'Hey,'" said Beard."The younger kids, they'll follow the seniors. So that's important to them to stay up."

Brentsville features five seniors this year, including Carmen Damico, Kaitlyn Riordan, Megan Dunn, Emily Wisbey, Angie Ruhstorfer and Gigi Kolb. Dunn is the team's "more quiet leader," according to Beard, while Kolb is "one of those players, when she makes the kill, she gets really excited."

Assistant coach Jennie Haywood said Kolb projects an upbeat attitude on and off the court and offers positive reinforcement to her teammates. She's proven to be a "good outside hitter and good on defense," Haywood added.

Meanwhile, Dunn has "great defense," according to Haywood. "She reads defense well. She has very good timing with offense."

One of Dunn's assets is that she she's learned to read her opponents' shoulders as a way of determining how they plan to attack, according to Haywood.

"She usually digs just about every ball they can hit to her," she said.

The coaching staff, rounded out by assistant Danny Armstrong, has yet to set permanent positions for the players this year, meaning the girls began the season rotating through the line-up, figuring out who worked best at what spot.

One of the up-and-coming players singled out by both Beard and Haywood is sophomore Taylor Kirby, a varsity rookie who played junior varsity as a freshman. Beard noted that she has the potential to be a solid middle hitter as she developers due to her height, arm length, hitting and blocking skills.

"She'll definitely get there, if not this year, definitely next year," said Beard.

That could well sum up most of the team this year too. During Brentsville's win against Seton, Beard said she said her players "picked up" their serving that game, keeping the ball in play. That is a trait Lynn used to stress throughout his coaching tenure and could well be linked to BDHS graduate Christine Herndon ranking among the tops in state history for highest serve percentage.

In a sense, when the Tigers play fundamentally sound ball, they're able to compete. Despite the five-games-under-.500 mark, Brentsville still has a chance to turn around its season as the team's Evergreen District playoff position will be determined by its district record, not overall tally.

Beard stressed a lesson she recited to her players after reading a book by Washington Redskins legend Joe Gibbs, who preached that there were more lessons to learn from making mistakes than triumphs.

"So I'm hoping they really took that to heart and they're going to roll with it," she said. I know they're gearing up for it. I am."