By GALEN WELLNICKI

The Georgetown Lady Eagles will enter the upcoming high school volleyball season ranked eighth in the state in Class 5A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association in its pre-season poll, which was released on Wednesday.

 Coach Jenny Richardson's Lady Eagles will open the regular season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the road at Leander following a total of six scrimmage tests on Friday and Saturday that will have them facing Cedar Park, Round Rock Westwood and Buda Hays on Friday at Westwood and defending 23-5A champion Pflugerville Hendrickson, Round Rock Stony Point and Austin Vandegrift on Saturday at Eagle Gym (A complete scrimmage time schedule for all four Georgetown teams is listed below).

 The Lady Eagles opened the week with tryouts on Monday and Tuesday that reduced a field of 88 candidates to 48 athletes on the programs' four teams -- Varsity (16), Junior Varsity (13), JV Flex (10) and Freshman (9).

 The varsity will be composed of seven returnees led by 6-foot-5 junior outside hitter Addy Gaido, 6-1 junior middle blocker McKenzie Bernard and junior setter Issabella Casanova. Also returning are senior outside hitter Kamryn Shelton, junior middle Sophia Jazesf, junior outside hitter Sadie Maccauley and senior middle Megan Hall.

 Varsity newcomers are Allison O'Shaughnessy, Brylee Dew, Chloe Albright, Jayden Mizner, Kadyn Arnecke, Mckenna Heine, Molly O'Shaughnessy, Raegan Ramirez and Reagan Truitt. All nine are moving up from last season's 26-1 JV.

 Last season's varsity posted a 28-19 record, finishing second to Hendrickson in 23-5A with a 12-2 reading and advanced to the Region III-5A quarterfinals before being eliminated from the state playoffs by Brenham.

 Fielding a JV Flex squad instead of a Freshman A team will allow the Lady Eagles make better use of the program's personnel and enhance player development, according to Richardson. It will compete in 23-5A in the Freshman A/JV Flex division. Richardson said that both Hendrickson and East View, last season's third-place finisher, also will field flex squads. District members Bastrop, Bastrop Cedar Creek and Pflugerville Connally are not fielding Freshman B teams, as of right now.

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LADY EAGLES ROSTERS

VARSITY

Coach: Jenny Richardson

Returning veterans: Addy Gaido, Jr.; Issabella Casanova, Jr.; Kamryn Shelton, Sr.; Mckenzie Bernard, Jr.; Megan Hall, Sr.; Sadie Maccauley, Jr.; Sophia Jazesf, Jr.

Newcomers: Allison O'Shaughnessy; Brylee Dew; Chloe Albright; Jayden Mizner; Kadyn Arnecke; Makenna Heine; Molly O'Shaughnessy; Raegan Ramirez; Reagan Truitt.

Managers: Sydney Woods, Abby McConnell.

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JUNIOR VARSITY

Coach: Shelbi Goode

Returning JV players: Blake Goggans, Annie Ashby.

Newcomers: Amelia Albright, Amelia Willman, Amry Anderson, Kendall McDougal, Macey Gates, Madeline Posey, Makenna Stengle, Mallory Miller, Sailor Rulmyr, Scout Robinson, Taylor Vett.

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JV FLEX

Coach: Lacey Blissit

Players: Bella Ritz, Ellie Linebrink, Grace Reid, Juliet Lee, Kate Collazos, Mary Rose Shoales, Makayla Firkins, Reese Wilmoth, Sophia Sullivan, Tricia Carson-Walker.

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FRESHMAN

Coach: Jason Allgood.

Players: Addison Porter, Adrianna Dekay, Belle Hamstra, Celorie Castillo, Katie Kruse, Lily McClinton, Makenna Brown, Reagan Hemenes, Sullivan Sogge.

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SCRIMMAGE SCHEDULES

FRIDAY

At ROUND ROCK WESTWOOD

(45-minute scrimmage, continuous clock)

Varsity (Court 1, Main Gym): 11 a.m. -- Buda Hays vs. Westwood. Noon -- Cedar Park vs. Georgetown. 1 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Westwood. 2 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Hays. 3 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Hays. 4 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Westwood.

JV (Court 2, Main Gym) -- 11 a.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Georgetown. Noon -- Hays vs. Westwood. 1 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Hays. 2 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Westwood. 3 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Westwood. 4 p.m. Georgetown vs. Hays.

Flex/Freshman A (Court 3, Aux. Gym) -- 11 a.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Georgetown. Noon -- Hays vs. Westwood. 1 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Hays. 2 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Westwood. 3 p.m. -- Cedar Park vs. Westwood. 4 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Hays.

Freshman B (Court 4, Aux. Gym) -- 11 a.m. -- Hays vs. Westwood. Noon -- Hays vs. Georgetown. 1 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Westwood. 2 p.m. -- Hays vs. Westwood. 3 p.m. -- Hays vs. Georgetown. 4 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Westwood. (Cedar Park does not field a B team).

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SATURDAY

AT GEORGETOWN

(47-minute scrimmage, continuous clock).

Varsity (Court 1, Eagle Gym) -- 8:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Pflugerville Hendrickson. 9:30 a.m. -- Round Rock Stony Point vs. Austin Vandegrift. 10:30 a.m. --Georgetown vs. Stony Point. 11:30 a.m. -- Hendrickson vs. Vandegrift. 12:30 p.m. -- Stony Point vs. Hendrickson. 1:30 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Vandegrift.

JV (Court 2, Eagle Gym) -- 8:30 a.m. -- Stony Point vs. Vandegrift. 9:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Hendrickson. 10:30 a.m. -- Hendrickson vs. Vandegrift. 11:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Stony Point. 12:30 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Vandegrift. 1:30 p.m. -- Stony Point vs. Hendrickson.

Flex/Freshman A (Court 3, Aux. Gym) -- 8:30a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Hendrickson. 9:30 a.m. -- Stony Point vs. Vandegrift. 10:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Stony Point. 11:30 a.m. -- Hendrickson vs. Vandegrift. 12:30 p.m. -- Stony Point vs. Hendrickson. 1:30 p.m. -- Georgetown vs. Vandegrift.

Freshman B (Court 4, Aux. Gym) -- 8:30 a.m. -- Stony Point vs. Vandegrift. 9:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Hendrickson. 10:30 a.m. -- Hendrickson vs. Vandegrift. 11:30 a.m. -- Georgetown vs. Stony Point. 12:30 p.m. --Georgetown vs. Vandegrift. 1:30 p.m. -- Stony Point vs. Hendrickson.

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TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION

PRE-SEASON CLASS 5A POLL

 1. Colleyville Heritage. 2. Leander Rouse. 3. Birdville. 4. Montgomery Lake Creek. 5. Frisco Wakeland. 6. Lucas Lovejoy. 7. New Braunfels Canyon. 8. GEORGETOWN. 9. Mission Sharyland. 10. Argyle.