Lexington’s volleyball team is in an unfamiliar place. 

The Wildcats are in the midst of a rebuilding year after losing 10 seniors from its 2024 squad. Lexington is doing its best to evaluate the fresh talent it has while also staying competitive in the region championship race. 

“We really had to restart at the drawing board,” head coach Erica Hardin said. “ What we keep talking about is just learning through the downs and making ourselves better from them.”

It has been an up-and-down year for the team so far this season. Lexington entered the week 9-10 overall and 3-1 in region play.

The Wildcats played against River Bluff on Tuesday, in a game that had major region implications, and lost to fall two games down in conference play. 

Lexington won its region each of the past two seasons and has not finished below second since 2016. The expectations are to finish near the top of the standings again, despite the inexperience.

“ The girls have a really good mindset about it,” Hardin said. “The expectation is still there to do what we can in the region this year.” 

To prepare for a grueling region season and learn more about her team, Hardin tested the Wildcats with an extensive non-region schedule, including tri-matches and tournaments. The team showed many flashes and concerns throughout. 

Overall, Hardin got a good feel for her group with senior libero Juliette Grandjean and sophomore middle hitter Rylee Nates emerging as the leaders.

“When we need a side-out, or we need a big block or kill, that’s who we’re going to,” Hardin said.

The Wildcats opened region play on Sept. 16 with a win over Irmo, but dropped a crucial game against Chapin to fall behind the Eagles early this season. The two teams will have a rematch on Oct. 7, where Lexington could even the series. 

“ I think that was really frustrating because for us going into that game, I felt really good about it, but just the amount of errors and the amount of production that we didn't have was just disheartening,” Hardin said. “ It stings to have that Chapin loss sitting in that loss column, but there's always another time to get them.” 

Lexington is about halfway done with its region slate and will begin paying teams for a second time this season next week. Hardin said she believes the Wildcats have a chance to compete for the title, but the cards will need to land their way. 

“ I think we just have to stay healthy. That's gonna be a big thing for us, keeping our starters healthy, keeping our bench healthy, but also just staying focused,” Hardin said.  ”I'm proud of them for not letting losses and defeat affect how they come in every day and practice. That's a testament to them and says a lot about them. I like the fight. I think that can pay off for us in the long run.”

Remaining Schedule

Oct. 2 - vs Irmo

Oct. 7 - at Chapin

Oct. 9 - vs Dutch Fork 

Oct. 13 - vs Blythewood 

Oct. 14 - at White Knoll 

Oct. 16 - vs River Bluff