It's a wonder what a few years will do. Just ask Lori Klaus.

Klaus, volleyball coach for Maryville High School, is seeing firsthand what a few years of experience can do for a team.

"It's really exciting to see how much they've improved," Klaus said. "When I got here our offense was really slow. All our sets were really high. Nobody really ran quicks because our setters didn't really know how to do it."

Tuesday morning at the Spoofhounds' volleyball camp, which runs through Thursday, the team was anything but slow. Drills were crisp, sets were accurate and spikes were put down with authority.

Most of Klaus' upperclassmen are ripe with experience on the court. The Spoofhounds aren't spending all of their time working on their basic fundamentals. Rather, they're working on their more complex offenses, which they're getting a chance to hammer out during summer league play.

"Camp's going really well," Klaus said. "Most of these girls are playing summer league. So, we're working a lot more on our offense and our defense.
"We're breaking down our skills a little bit."

The more time the girls spend actually playing together the better their chemistry becomes. Knowing what a teammate is going to do by instinct can be priceless in such a fast-paced game.

When the season rolls around, chemistry won't be the only weapon the Spoofhounds have in their arsenal.

"We have a lot of strengths," Klaus said. "Our outside (hitters) have gotten a lot stronger ... (Jessica From) and Libby Howell are really strong on the outside, then obviously Jordan Stiens in the middle.

"Sam (McGinness) coming back to set is a huge strength."

Klaus went on listing more players she considered assets to the team including Randi Tobin and Leah Bostwick "an excellent defender."

By the time she was done, she'd pretty much listed every position on the court.

"I don't see any weaknesses really," Klaus said.

Experience doesn't just make things easier for the players. Klaus said it's a whole lot easier to run a camp where almost everyone already knows what they're supposed to do.

"I would say it's gone a lot smoother," Klaus said. "I know them, and they know what I expect. We don't have to start all over with every drill and teach them all that stuff. They already know what to do."

What about those girls that don't know? The Spoofhounds had 13 freshmen show up to summer camp. Klaus said they aren't having any problem adjusting to the new level of play.

"I would say they're starting a step ahead of where some of the freshmen have started in the past," Klaus said. "They're doing a really good job."