Gustine High School’s volleyball program will be emphasizing the basics as the Lady Redskins take the court to begin a new season under the leadership of Bryan Hall, who returns for a second go-around as the program’s head coach.

Hall, a teacher at Gustine Middle School, coached the Lady Redskins for two seasons about six years ago.

He returns to a program that has struggled in recent years.

“I think we have a decent core group of players, and I am excited about coming back,” Hall commented. “The biggest concern at this point is that I haven’t been involved over the summer, and am not sure what the turnout is going to be.”

Gustine opened practice Tuesday. The Lady Redskins will scrimmage in Dos Palos Monday, and will then have another full week of practice time before facing Denair in their first match of the season Sept. 2.

Hall said he and junior varsity coach Sara (Hutton) Gomez will strive to build the program at all levels.

“I am going to stress the importance of teamwork and team concepts,” he commented. “Probably our first real goal is going to become a defense-oriented team. I believe that if we can defend well, that will translate into a better offensive game.”

He echoed the recent comments of Athletic Director Adam Cano in saying that commitment and dedication will vital to turning Gustine High’s athletic programs around.

The success of this season will not necessarily be measured in wins and losses, Hall reflected.

“We want to field a team that goes out and competes,” he stated. “We will try to set achievable goals, and if we meet those goals I think we will get our share of wins.”