SANFORD — With practically everybody back from the 2009 squad, Lee County volleyball coach Cindy Kelly is expecting big things from her program this season.

So far, she’s off to a good start.

The Yellow Jackets defeated crosstown rival Southern Lee 3-1 (25-23, 25-13, 18-25, 25-18) on Tuesday afternoon at Southern Lee High School in the season opener for both teams.

“It’s always good to start off the year with a win,” said Kelly. “Hopefully, we can keep this going.”

The Yellow Jackets have just one senior, eight juniors and five sophomores on their varsity roster for 2010. Sophomores were the main bulk of this team in 2009 and were asked to carry a pretty heavy load. Kelly feels that these players, now with more experience, have learned something from last year.

“We’re a year older now,” said Kelly. “I think we’re a little more mature now. These girls got that experience last year and I think it helped them. We need these experienced players to keep stepping up. I think we’re definitely going to be more mature this year.”

The Yellow Jackets were led by junior Evan Langston, who was 22-of-24 in serves and finished with 23 assists and three kills in the match. Junior Halle Wells was 9-of-10 in serves. Sierra McRae, the lone senior on the team, finished with eight kills.

Lee County will be back on the court on Thursday when it opens Tri-9 Conference play at Apex. The Cougars finished the 2009 season with an unbeaten 16-0 mark.

“It’s a conference game, so it’s important,” said Kelly. “Apex is a good team. They’ve done well in the conference the last few years. Getting this win will definitely have us headed into that game with some confidence.”

The Cavaliers, who will turn around and play Lee County again on Friday night at Lee County High School, were led by Alisha Adkins, who was 15-of-17 in serves with 11 digs.

“This may be the best team we’ve ever had here at Southern Lee,” said new head coach Kate O’Connell, who takes over the reigns of the varsity program for former coach Don Richardson. “They’ve got the experience, leadership and intensity. These girls want it.”

Kayla Sharpe had 10 digs. Angie Grant added four blocks and three kills while Colleen Pisano had two blocks and three kills. Marckee Zimmerman added 12 digs and three kills in the loss.

With four seniors, O’Connell is excited about the future of the Cavaliers program. “This will be the first time that when these seniors graduate, we’ll actually have a team left,” said O’Connell. “We’ve graduated six or seven seniors in the past and have had to start over from scratch the next few years.”

So far, in her first year as the varsity head coach, O’Connell has liked the attitude that her team is playing with.

“The girls are working so hard,” said O’Connell. “They’re serious about what we’re trying to do. I think we’ve got the potential to have a pretty solid year.”

Kelly certainly noticed how hard the Cavaliers worked. “Southern Lee is a great opponent,” said Kelly. “They’ve got a good group over there that works hard and plays hard every time. That’s something you like to see.”