TRINITY CHRISTIAN VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW | A New Era Begins

Trinity Christian celebrates a point during their Navy & Red scrimmage. (Steven Liles for Sideline Sports)

Volleyball season is officially here, and our first stop of the year took RG and I out to Trinity Christian Thursday night for the Lady Lions’ Red and Navy Scrimmage.

Things looked a little different on the Trinity Christian bench from the last time we saw the Lady Lions in Clyde during last year’s playoffs. For the first time in 20 years, Coach Neal isn’t leading the program into a new season.

New Trinity Christian Coach Bradi Brister (Ryder Grace Liles for Sideline Sports)

The Coach Bradi Brister era has officially begun.

Before the first serve, I was already impressed with the staff Brister has assembled around her. Former Perryton Head Coach Shaun Lynch and Impact Volleyball Director Cassidy Buckelew round out a staff with a ton of volleyball knowledge and experience.

Then the match started and the team on the court was every bit as impressive.

This is an athletic and deep Lady Lions squad with weapons all over the floor.

 Haven Pointer headlines the attack and is one of those players you notice immediately. She can flat out jump out of the gym and has the ability to attack from seemingly anywhere on the court. She gives Trinity a dynamic offensive weapon who can change a match in a hurry.

 Defensively, it starts with Jersey McCasland, who seems to have one rule: the ball does not hit the floor. McCasland led District 1-5A last season with 563 digs and after watching her Thursday night she looks primed for an even bigger season.

What may stand out most about this Trinity Christian team is its depth and athleticism. There are not many easy rotations to attack and the Lady Lions have the pieces to play fast, defend at a high level and put pressure on opponents from multiple spots on the floor.

This season also brings another big change.

Trinity Christian drops from 5A to 4A, setting up what should be one of the best district races in the area with Lubbock Christian. Those two matchups should be absolute must see volleyball.

Do not be surprised if that district race is a preview of something much bigger.

Expect the winner of this district to be one of the favorites to bring a State Championship home to Lubbock.

A new coach. A loaded staff. Plenty of talent.

The Bradi Brister era is officially underway at Trinity Christian, and the Lady Lions look ready to make some noise.