BUTLER TWP — With a career record of 339 wins and 135 losses, Rob Snyder knows volleyball.

Now he needs to make sure his Butler County Community College team knows it as well.

Snyder enters his 19th season as coach of the Pioneers, who begin their campaign at noon Saturday, hosting Allegany College (Md.).

The Pioneers are coming off a 21-3 season that included the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and Region XX championships. And the program's goals never change.

“We always want to win the region, go to nationals, those goals will be there every year,” Snyder said. “We're just not returning the experience we brought back last year.

“This team will have more of a learning curve.”

While BC3 returns only three players from last season — Freeport graduate Brittney Bianco at setter, Butler graduates Autumn Rodgers at middle and Kelley Kabay at outside hitter — the team is still ranked No. 9 among 102 teams in NJCAA Division III.

And Snyder is a seven-time WPCC Coach of the Year.

Tradition goes a long way.

Bianco finished 10th in NJCAA Div. III with 8.75 assists per set last season. She was an All-WPCC and all-region selection.

“We need to work on more communication with one another and I think that will take time as everyone gets more comfortable with one another and understands how everybody plays,” Bianco said in a released statement.

The Pioneers' top newcomer may well be Mackenzie Craig, a multiple sport athlete from Karns City who is also a setter.

“Setter is the toughest and most critical position to fill in volleyball and we've got good ones there,” Snyder said. “That's a definite plus going into the season.”

Kabay was a defensive specialist at Butler and has been working on becoming a hitter. Rodgers primarily saw action in the front row last year and will be asked to play some in the back row this season.

“All three of our returners worked extremely hard in the off-season,” Snyder said. “It's rare that a defensive specialist transforms herself into an outside hitter, but Kelly is doing that.”

Another Butler graduate, sophomore outside hitter Alexis Schmeider, has come out for the Pioneer squad for the first time.

“She was involved in our nursing program last year and didn't feel comfortable adding volleyball to that, so she decided not to play,” Snyder said. “She saw we were looking for players this year, so she decided to give it a try.

“First-year sophomores tend to pick up the system a little quicker. Alexis will be a starter for us.”

Emily Magusiak, a middle hitter from New Castle, figures to be an effective freshman for the team. Other first-year players include Emilee Beck and Haley Caldwell from Butler, Kelsey Minnich from Armstrong and Madison Morella from Lincoln.

“A lot of our newecomers will have to make the adjustment to a higher level of volleyball and that may take some time,” Snyder said. “I'm sure we'll get better as we go.”

Craig believes the team will jell sooner rather than later.

“I think we have a pretty strong offense and we are getting better at defense. We are coming along as a team,” she said in a released statement. “Our communication is getting better every day.”