Freeport volleyball coach Tom Phillips can't help but smile when he looks at the 2017 edition of his team.

What's not to like?

The Yellowjackets have four returning stars in seniors Hannah Mason and Claire Crytzer and juniors Courtney Grubbs and Ally DeJidas from a team that has won two consecutive WPIAL titles.

Freeport also has 6-foot-3 junior Sarah Hettich poised to be a force at the net.

The Yellowjackets are just as scary as ever — perhaps more so.

“When I watch them play, we are better this year than we were last year,” Phillips said. “They're going to be a tough out.”

Freeport isn't the only team poised for big things this year.

Knoch and A-C Valley are also dangerous teams and could make deep postseason runs.

The Knights advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, and then stunned favored Fort LeBoeuf in the first round of the PIAA playoffs before being eliminated.

The Falcons were runner-up in District 9 Class A and advanced to the state playoffs with a young lineup.

This year, that lineup is experienced, led by senior middle hitter Josey Terwilliger.

All Terwilliger did last season was record 233 digs, 212 kills, a 57 percent kill efficiency and only missed five serves all season (95 percent success rate).

She's one of the top returning players in the county, along with Knoch's Sarah Armahizer and Carly Bozzo, Butler's Maria Lucas, Seneca Valley's Emily Devlin and Maddie McDonough, Mars' Alayna Chizmar, Union's Frankee Remmick and Hannah Atzeni, and Mason, Crytzer, Grubbs and DeJidas from Freeport.

“Josey plays the whole way around,” said A-C Valley coach Doug Knox after last season. “She's our best passer. She's one of our best hitters. She led us in digs. She's one of the best all-round players. She's only 5-foot-6 and she's going up against six-footers at the net, but she played her best in the biggest games.”

Following is a team-by-team look at the Butler County area volleyball teams this season:

Butler

nCoach: Meghan Lucas

n At the net: Maria Lucas (junior), Julia Gibson (junior), Alyssa Eyth (senior), Katie Haley (senior), Heidi Gross (junior), Sophia Sacriponte (junior)

nOn the set: Tabitha Walker (junior)

nDigging it out: Hope Fiorina (junior), Gabrielle Lucas (sophomore), Sophia Lucas (freshman, libero), Kathleen Rudolf (junior), Faith Hansotte (junior)

nOutlook: The Golden Tornado made huge strides last season and were in the hunt for a playoff spot late, but the section is loaded again with the usual suspects Seneca Valley, Pine-Richland and North Allegheny.

The Tornado's task is trying to crack those three team's stranglehold atop the section.

“We cracked Pine-Richland last year and beat them,” Lucas said. “It was a we-can-do-this sort of win for us. We'd really like to make the playoffs.”

Seneca Valley

nCoach: Karen Martini

n At the net: Emily Devlin (senior), Kiara Carrasquilla (senior), Brooke Lawson (senior), Anna DeGraff (sophomore)

nOn the set: Maddie McDonough (senior)

nDigging it out: Hannah White (senior)

nOutlook: The Raiders lost a slew of talent from a team that went 23-2, won the WPIAL Quad-A title and advanced to the second round of the PIAA tournament.

Five seniors in all were lost, but Martini is pleased with what she has seen so far from her young team.

“Losing five seniors, we lost a big core,” Martini said. “It's their team now and they have to develop their own core.”

Knoch

nCoach: Diane Geist

n At the net: Sarah Armahizer (senior), Abby Kopac (senior), Bethany Nulph (senior), Kennedy Christy (sophomore), Hannah Rowe (sophomore)

nOn the set: Abby Pospisil (senior), Kerrie Fitzpatrick (junior)

nDigging it out: Carly Bozzo (senior, libero), Mackenzie McDowell (senior),

nOutlook: The Knights reached the state quarterfinals last season after sharing the section title with Hampton.

Knoch is loaded and primed to have another successful season with Armahizer at the net, Bozzo at libero and Abby Pospisil, who hurt her knee in the WPIAL semifinal loss, anchoring a talented roster.

“We'd definitely like to win the section again,” Geist said. “We're looking for a little more offense.”

Mars

nCoach: Tami Caraway

n At the net: Sydney Amell (senior), Alayna Chizmar (junior), Maddie Schlegel (senior), Emily Hayward (sophomore), Beth Long (freshman)

nOn the set: Sophia Lamm (senior)

nDigging it out: Isabelle Berkopec (senior, libero), Ashley Schlegel (senior)

nOutlook: The Planets should be buoyed by the return of senior Sydney Amell at the net after she missed all of last season with an injury.

Amell has already verbally committed to play at Clarion University.

“It was really hard for her to sit out a season, but she's worked hard to get back. She looks great,” Caraway said.

Freeport

nCoach: Tom Phillips

n At the net: Hannah Mason (senior), Ally DeJidas (junior), Haley Graham (junior), Sarah Hettich (junior), Lauren Lampus (sophomore)

nOn the set: Courtney Grubbs (junior)

nDigging it out: Claire Crytzer (senior, libero)

nOutlook: The Yellowjackets won their second consecutive WPIAL title last fall.

A third straight is certainly well within reach.

“All the components are there to have another good year,” Phillips said.

Slippery Rock

nCoach: Danielle Busi

nOn the set: Morgan Malinski (junior)

nDigging it out: Amya Altman (senior, libero)

nOutlook: The Rockets lost four quality seniors to graduation from last year's team, but have a slew of young talent.

Busi's challenge now in her second year is finding the right mix.

“We have a lot of young girls and they're all along the same lines,” Busi said. “We have 19 on our roster. We're in a really, really tough conference and our goal this year is to win the games we should win and be competitive against the teams at the top.”

Karns City

nCoach: Lisa Nagy

n At the net: Emily Hegedus (senior), MaKayla Waltman (senior), Rayna Miller (junior), Livia Andreassi (senior)

nOn the set: Alyssa Stitt (junior)

nOutlook: The focus for the Gremlins this offseason was simple: get better at the net.

“We got out-hit last year,” Nagy said. “We have been working on hitting in practice every day. We don't dwell on it, we work on it.”

Nagy said one thing that isn't a problem is team chemistry.

“The girls have told me they feel a strong bond this year,” Nagy said. “That should take us farther.”

Moniteau

nCoach: Ashley Rumbaugh

n At the net: Cambrie Campbell (senior), Emma Bair (senior), Carolyn Kelly (junior), Madison Bresnehan (junior), Faith Kelly (junior)

nOn the set: Madison Clark (junior)

nDigging it out: Dolcey Shunk (junior), Lacey Blauser (senior), Megan Hepler (senior)

nOutlook: The Warriors' roster is rich with athleticism as many of the players have excelled in other sports at the school.

The challenge for Rumbaugh, in her first year as coach, is getting that talent to translate to volleyball.

“We have a lot of girls with natural talent,” Rumbaugh said. “I don't even think they know how good they can be.”

A-C Valley

nCoach: Doug Knox

n At the net: Josey Terwillger (senior), Cassie Schwalm (senior), Olivia Boocks (junior), Kylee Eaton (junior)

nOn the set: Sydney Rankin (senior), Emily Wetzel (sophomore), Kaylie Merwin (junior)

nOutlook: The Falcons went 16-3 last year with a young team.

Now that team is older and poised to make another run at the District 9 title.

“We did really well at the Slippery Rock team camp,” Knox said. “We went to a Fort LeBoeuf tournament and were second out of 26 teams.”

Union

nCoach: Diana Thorpe

n At the net: Amy Henry (senior), Frankee Remmick (senior), Vanessa Reddick (junior), Bryn Davis (junior), Morgan Cumberland (freshman), Drew Davis (freshman)

nOn the set: Hannah Atzeni (senior)

nDigging it out: Marli Hawk (junior)

nOutlook: The Damsels, with Thorpe in her first season, have been focusing on team building.

“If they do that,” Thorpe said, “they can do amazing things.”

Amazing things are expected from Remmick, who is one of the hardest hitters in District 9. She had 150 kills, 184 digs and 149 service points last season.

“She's very entertaining to watch,” Thorpe said of Remmick.

Note: The Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and Grove City coaches could not be reached.