POULSBO — Enthusiasm, excitement, energy and positivity fly at the PJH gym, much like the barrage of volleyballs during a Panther’s serving drill Wednesday.

It’s a whole new year for the Poulsbo Junior High volleyball team, but the foundation which makes the Panthers, the Panthers is still in place.

“It’s a big reflection of our school, we really try to build a sense of community and that definitely transfers into our athletics,” said PJH Panthers’ head coach Amy Johnson. “We want to build enthusiasm and a sense of camaraderie amongst the teams themselves and also between the JV and varsity.”

Johnson and JV coach Karla DeVries have been practicing for five years to combine a consistent system that provides a smooth transition up the junior high volleyball scale.

This year should be a testament to their work as the incoming Panther varsity inherits a host of players from last year’s JV squad while returning varsity players Jordan Sprague and Taylor Ottomano have stepped into the role of seasoned leaders.

“Since we are returners, we have more leadership responsibilities because we have been there before and we know what its like,” Sprague said.

Preseason practice has seemed like an eternity for the junior high girls as they started practice Aug. 28, before the first day of school. But game day is right around the corner at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Silverdale as the Panthers square off against Central Kitsap.

In preparation, the Panthers have been working on “our movement and our form, a lot of trying to get our fundamentals down,” Sprague said, while fellow freshman Kendall Rock added a special emphasis on first passes, serves and receives.

“There’s a lot more bump, set, spike combinations at the varsity level, a lot more ball control,” Johnson noted. “Volleyball is a game of reaction, you’ve got to react to wherever the ball goes.”

The ball is in the 2006 Panthers’ court this year, as last year’s squad racked up an 11-2 record and bragging rights around the league.

“It’s exciting that we had such a good record last year, so we’ve got to strive to continue that,” Rock said.

“We’ve got real strong hitters, but we’ve got to work on getting the ball up to them,” Johnson said, noting consistent set ups and consistent serves as challenges for the Panthers in the early goings.

“They’re doing great, we have strong skills and a group of girls that like to be out here together,” she said. “That’s what we’re looking for at this level is to have fun.”