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The Sacred Heart volleyball team will have a target on its back this season.

A year after winning the Class 1 state championship and recently learning they will begin the season as the No. 1 team in the state, the Gremlins bring back almost everyone from a team that went 31-2-4.

Sacred Heart coach David Fall believes his girls won’t be affected by the added pressure of being defending state champions.

“The girls are working hard. They had a good summer,” Fall said. “I  didn’t see a drop-off in effort this summer. We’re trying to go at it like they’re still hungry.”

The team’s only loss was a costly one, though.

Meghan Stratton was a first-team all-stater last season and was the team’s main setter.

Stratton is playing at Longview Community College, which finished ninth last season in the NJCAA Division I tournament.

The Gremlins bring back three all-staters.

Middle blocker Laura McMullin was a second-team all-stater and was named MVP of the state championship game by PrepCasts.com.

Paige Shipley was a first-team all-stater, dividing her time among setter, outside hitter and middle blocker.

Courtney Curtiss was a second-team all-stater at outside hitter and middle blocker.

Kelsey Baldwin, an outside hitter, was an all-Central Region honorable mention in 2007.

Debbie Lewis received an all-conference honorable mention.

The Gremlins bring back another key member of last year’s team, Rachel Fritz. She played at various positions but will be an outside hitter this season, according to Fall.

Juniors Rachel Fischer, Hilary Strange and Brieanna Wells, and sophomores Makayla Dove, Courtney Fischer, Devin Wadley and Kate Woolery will  compete for playing time.

The Gremlins will shuffle their lineup early, trying to determine who will share the setting duties with Shipley, who is a valuable front-row player as well.

“We have not set a rotation yet,” Fall said. “We’re still looking to see what we’re going to do. I suspect that will continue for a while. Hopefully, we’ll finalize a lineup before we go to Springfield.”

He said Curtiss, Fritz and Lewis will all see time at setter early on.

The Gremlins have dialed up their schedule a notch this season. Besides competing against bigger schools in the Kickapoo tournament in Springfield, they will compete in the Camdenton tournament and will face 2006 Class 4 state champion St. Teresa’s on Oct. 20 in Kansas City.

They will host Class 2 Lee’s Summit Christian in their home opener Sept. 9 and visit Class 4 Lebanon, Mo., on Sept. 30.

Sacred Heart’s district should be a tough one. Northwest, which is ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll, will join the Gremlins in the La Monte district.

Despite all of the returning talent, Fall sees room for improvement.

He said that his team’s serve-receive was off at times last season, and his girls need to speed up their transition from blocking to offense.