The Oak Harbor High School volleyball team returns much of its firepower from last fall, and the Wildcats hope that translates into a return to the state tournament.

Oak Harbor placed sixth at state in 2013, its best finish since 1988, but missed a trip to state last season by one spot by placing fourth in the district tournament.

Last year’s setters Hailey Beecher and Natalie McVey and middle block Amelia Berner graduated, but Oak Harbor returns seven letter winners who played significant rolls last fall.

The Wildcats placed second in the 13-team Western Conference in 2014 with a 9-3 record (11-7 overall).

“Expectations and goals are always set high,” coach Kerri Molitor said. “We have a strong team that works well together. We are very optimistic about this season.  Although we are realistic about regular season ups and downs, we like our chances.  We know that it’s not where you start, but where you finish.”

Leading the list of returning players is one of the conference’s top hitters, senior Claire Anderson, who earned first-team, all-Wesco honors.

Other letter winners are seniors Priya Osborne (L), AnnaBelle Whitefoot (OH), Jayne Payne (S), and Geslyne Barreta (OH); junior Julie Jansen (MB) and sophomore Hailee Blau (RS).

Coach Kerri Molitor said senior Stephanie Kolden (DS), junior Lauren May (DS) and freshman Camryn Bristow (S) are the key newcomers.

“Our strengths,” Molitor said, “are that we bring a wide variety of experiences to the table, we have a hard-working group that knows each other well, we have strong leadership and we have aggressive competitive attitudes.”

That aggressiveness should help the Wildcats put a strong, scrappy defense on the court, she said.

Oak Harbor hosts a jamboree at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, and then hosts perennial power Ferndale in a nonleague match at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.