FORT LUPTON — Time will tell, but Fort Lupton’s second-year volleyball coach was able to get something out of preseason practice that wasn’t true a year ago.
    A preseason scrimmage.
    “It was nice to have a scrimmage,” said Amy Shoemaker. “Last year, none were scheduled. By the time I got here, everyone already had their scrimmages set up. You practice for two weeks but don’t really know how your team is going to mesh until you play a match.”
    Fort Lupton traveled to Berthoud High School for the scrimmage.
    “I was able to see how certain players played with each other, how the team chemistry was and what we still needed to work on as far as skill and technique,” Shoemaker said. “I was able to figure out what lineup I want to start with and what players will be starting, as well as their roles and positions for the season.”
    Shoemaker is looking for team leaders to help guide what will be a young Bluedevils squad with one senior and three juniors on the varsity squad — and only one of the juniors started on the varsity team a year ago.
    “I need girls to step up and be leaders on and off the court,” Shoemaker said. “I don’t have that go-to person. We are so young, the team needs to find a leader.”
    Because it’s her second year in charge of the program, “I don’t need to spend as much time with in-system practices this year,” Shoemaker said. “The girls are young. But we are running the same system as last year with a few modifications to fit the personnel of the team. ... They know the game a little better this year, so we are able to refine skills and teach more on how to read the other team and expose the other team’s weaknesses.”
    One new face dots the coaching staff this year. Jennifer Santos is the junior varsity coach. She teaches science at the high school. Rebekah Martinez returns as Shoemaker’s assistant. The Bluedevils will play in the new Colorado 7 League.
    “It’ll be interesting to see how we match up against other teams in our conference,” Shoemaker said. “Everyone in our conference is pretty evenly matched, so the competition should be more intense.”
    But Shoemaker would still like to see someone take over the on-court leadership role.
    “If they don’t, we may not have as good a season as last year,” she said. Fort Lupton finished 11-9 and advanced to the district tournament. “I always have high expectations and work my team very hard. I do not give days off, and we condition and weight lift through our season. We’ll see how they respond to the demands of high school varsity volleyball.”
    The first match is Thursday when FLHS visits Eaton at 7 p.m.