Taylor Raglin: Though the Lady Leopards will join the ranks of local teams under the direction of a new head coach, the program’s new leader is, in fact, a familiar face. Ryan Mitchell, who won five straight championships with the school from 2008-2012, will take over for the departing Jason Nicholson.

Mitchell will inherit a team on the verge of winning another title, as the Lady Leopards fell in the state final a season ago and return impactful pieces in sophomore setter Averi Carlson and junior TCU commit Cecily Bramschreiber, among others.

The rub, then, is whether or not Mitchell and the Lady Leopards can gel and reproduce the kind of overwhelming dominance the program is accustomed to – in 2018, the school finished 47-7 and won more than 20 matches in a row before falling in the 5A final. Given the coach’s track record, the Lady Leopards’ young stars and the program’s ability to continually replace alums each year, the club should be among the area’s few that considers itself a true state-title contender in 2019.