MOSCOW, Idaho— Five months after being crowned the 2018 Big Sky Regular-Season Champions, Idaho volleyball is back in the gym gearing up for the 2019 campaign.
 
 It is a new year and a different team, so what does the spring season look like for the Vandals?
 
"It's always a fun transition because it's new people stepping up and it's a whole different dynamic as a team," said head coach Debbie Buchanan. "It's completely different than who we were in the fall. Based on the players that you have, you evolve into what your [team] personality is going to be."
 
The Vandals lost seven players total ahead of the spring session, including graduating six seniors who each had a significant role to play in the Vandals' success.
 
With two weeks left of the spring, Buchanan is not only pleased with the hard work her young team has put in the past two months, but she has enjoyed watching how her team is beginning to evolve and seeing the new senior leadership step up to the plate.
 
"We only have two seniors, so it is a young squad, but I think they have been doing a good job with being accountable, being present and really trying to be better. I think Paige Rupiper  and Delaney Hopen  are doing a good job of trying to make sure that some of the traditions and things that we do on a daily basis are being looked at or maybe even tweaked, if that's what they feel like they want to do as far as our team and what our culture is."
 
With a young team comes jitters and areas that need improvement. This is where the offseason can be essential to a team's progress moving forward. The spring is where the Vandals will look to make those rookie mistakes and learn from the mishaps every day in practice and competition.
 
"They are all really excited [to compete]. We did some good things in our previous match, and we also saw some things we need to get better at. As we continue to push forward, we'll keep to making improvements each day in practice and competition, that's the most important thing during this spring. We are not going to go from zero to 100 overnight. This spring is about learning and a lot of teaching."
 
The Vandals took it to the court for the first time since the fall against Washington State on March 30. The young squad played a fearless competitive match, earning a three-set win over the Cougars.
 
"They came out unafraid and did some good things. It was a great confidence builder for the team, especially moving forward. It was a good competitive weekend, and I was proud of the girls, proud that we got better each set."