PRATT, Kans.- As a new breeze blows through the campus of Pratt Community College and its athletic department, so too does a breath of fresh air find the Beavers' volleyball program.

Zac Rambo, a former assistant coach at Friends University (Kans.) and the Beavers' second-in-command in 2018, was tasked with his first head coaching position earlier this year in January. With his ladies scheduled to open the season August 22 at home versus Brookhaven College (Texas), Rambo is ready to draw first blood.

"I'm ecstatic," said Rambo. "I've been waiting a long time for this, so I'm excited. That's really the only way to put it."

A former college baseball player, Rambo wound up competing on behalf the United States Air Force as a member of the Al Udeid Armed Forces Volleyball Team while on active duty overseas. After fulfilling his service requirements, he continued to pursue a career in volleyball. Rambo got his coaching start at Friends University in 2014, and was named recruiting coordinator the following season. Rambo believes his years in the military will serve as a benefit not only to him, but to his players.

"With my military experience, I don't shy away from the hard work," Rambo said. "I've been trying to instill in the girls some of the things I've learned in the military: Discipline, trusting the process, staying focused, and having a business-like attitude when it comes to the work we're putting in."

Now in charge of a different kind of platoon, Rambo's focus will be on many different aspects of the Pratt volleyball program. But for now, he will ask his ladies to give their all both on and off the court.

"I want to compete," Rambo explained. "I don't want us to be outmatched in any game we play. I want us to compete in every single game and have an opportunity to win every single game.

"I want to continue the outstanding job of (former Pratt volleyball head coach and athletic director) Jenny Mueller and the coaches before me in how prestigious the program's academics have been. That's a big thing for me."

So far during the early days of fall practice, Rambo has seen just that. He's also marveled at his team's raw abilities.

"We are really athletic," he said. "We're fast, we're long, and we're big compared to teams from the past. A couple of our passers are almost six-foot tall, we have a whole bunch of hitters right around 5'11 and six-foot tall at every position.

"We have size, we have athleticism, but we had to give up a little bit of experience to get that."

On the subject of experience, Rambo will be looking to a select few sophomores to provide leadership on the court in order to guide a very young roster in the proper direction.

"I have my returning All-Conference girl Olivia Hessman coming back," Rambo said, "and obviously being a setter, that position, being a sophomore, being an All-Conference player, I lean on her for some leadership."

Hessman was named to the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Second Team after playing 115 of 120 sets in 2018, posting 171 kills and a team-high 622 assists. She was also named KJCCC Setter of the Week in Week 10 last fall.

"In our freshman class, I look at Kylee Harman and Haylee Parker. Kylee is kind of that subtle workhorse. She doesn't say a lot, she isn't loud, but she quietly does her job and works her butt off. Haylee is doing a great job passing for us and she does everything I ask. She works very hard and she corrects things very quickly.

"I'll probably lean on Olivia to be more of the vocal leader but Kylee is one of those girls where everyone on the team is happy to have her here, and Haylee, being on the cheer team as well, has the kind of personality where she is very bubbly, very approachable, and that's something you need in a leader."

The Lady Beavers regular season debut will take place at the Beaver Dome on August 22 against Brookhaven College, and Coach Rambo is looking at the early slate of home matches as big trees for the Beavers to bite down.

"Our first two home games against Brookhaven and Hutchinson are going to set the stage," Rambo said. "Our first conference home match is going to be Hutchinson, and that's going to be huge. I don't know what Hutch is going to have, but I would really like to go out and get a win early against a top-three team in our conference.

"They went to the conference championship last year, and Coach (Patrick) Hall is an absolutely phenomenal coach and did a great job when he was here (at Pratt). He was the head coach here the last time we made it to nationals, and I'm hoping this year or maybe in a year or two I can repeat that, but getting a win over Coach Hall would be big."

For those that haven't had a chance to see the Lady Beavers on the court, Coach Rambo and his team would be thrilled to see a packed Beaver Dome for tonight's season opener. And if you're looking to cheer for a Kansas team full of Kansas women, these Beavers may be the group for you.

"We have a lot of really good local girls," Rambo detailed. "We've got girls from the Wichita area, Pretty Prairie, Clearwater, Kingman, Liberal, we have girls that are local. We aren't like many teams in our conference. We have a lot of talented Kansas kids. If you want to see what Kansas volleyball looks like and what a lot of the smaller schools are producing, we have girls from Pretty Prairie, Clearwater, Cheney, and Spearville that are going to be starting for us.

"I'm really happy to have those small-town girls because they know what it means to a little town when you can win."