HOGANSVILLE – The season is here.

The Callaway High volleyball team will hold its first preseason practice on Monday, and a little more than a week later, it’ll be time to play the season opener.

“Everybody has finished vacation this week, and on Monday, they’re ready to go,” Callaway coach Heather Smith said.

While Monday marks the first official day of practice, the team has been working hard during the summer getting ready for a new season.

The gym was open during the summer for players to come and work out if they wanted to, and on Monday and Tuesday, the team members got together for a camp at the school.

“We had open gym, and we had them for about two hours every day,” Smith said.

Smith will have to find replacements for six seniors from the 2015 team, but she said despite those losses, there will still be plenty of experienced players on the roster.

“I’ve got a lot of veteran players that are coming back, so that helps the transition,” Smith said.

One of the veterans is senior Jasemine Drake, who will bring plenty of experience to the court this fall.

Drake, who along with her teammates participated in the two-day camp this week, is excited about the prospects for this season.

“We feel like this year we’ll be better as a team,” she said. “We’ll work more together, be able to communicate well with each other, and just get things done.”

Callaway will open the season on Aug. 11, and it will host Pike County and Villa Rica.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports