No stranger to volleyball in this town, Danielle Deerinck has stepped up her game this year, moving up from the Sierra junior varsity coach to take over the Timberwolves program this season.

“I got a little test run as head coach last year doing boys volleyball,” Deerinck said. “Going into the girls season there is a lot of pressure, but I feel like the girls make it easy for me. They are coachable, and they are being flexible with so many of them able to play multiple positions.”

Sierra finished tied for second with Manteca in the Valley Oak League last season and battled to a first-round, five-set loss to Vanden in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. The Timberwolves suffered a mass senior exodus from that playoff team.

“We had a very senior-heavy team last year,” Deerinck said. “We graduated nine. Sophia Threet is a senior and she was our setter last year, but we have so many options at setter this year she is having a huge impact for us in the front row. Also a senior, Sarah Thomas is filling some big shoes for us in the middle.”

“We have a freshman Delicia Kivalu-ahio, and when she came out for tryouts I could tell she had talent and she has been doing a great job. I coached a lot of these girls on JV last year, and one of them is Gurjaap Kaur, who was the JV setter. She is a great leader and very determined.”

This is Threet’s third year on the varsity.

“I’m really excited to see how everything is going to turn out,” Threet said. “I think we have a really strong team and I think we are going to do really well this season.

Kaur is a junior in her first year on the varsity.

“This is definitely a faster pace, longer game than at the JV level,” Kaur said. “It’s been really great so far.”

Sierra opens play on Monday when it hosts Stagg of Stockton at 6:15 p.m.