ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — This year’s Central Christian School squad will look a lot different than last year’s NACA National Championship team. That’s because the Saints lost five seniors to graduation and have only one senior to replace them.

The Saints’ only returning senior Courtney Rada said she is looking forward to being in a leadership role for such a young, inexperienced team.

“We are looking forward to having a lot of fun,” Rada said. “This is going to be different. We are so used to everyone knowing what they are doing and knowing what position they are, and now everything is going to be switched up. It is going to be fun, and a lot of hard work, but I know we are ready for it.”

The Saints are used to success. In the last three years, they have won two NACA championships and reached the Final Four three times.

“This is what most coaches would call a rebuilding year,” CCS coach Renee Crotts said. “I graduated five of my six starters last year. Several of those could have played at the next level. We had a pretty good team. I have a couple girls from that team that will make up the core of this one, but we have a lot of new girls coming up from JV and a couple new girls who have never played for me before.”

Crotts said that along with Rada, Deidre McCarty and Becky Shelton are back to help lead the young team.

“With Courtney as the lynchpin to kind of hold everything together, we should be able to put a pretty good group of girls on the court,” she said. “She and Deidre and Becky will be my core players.”

The Saints also lack size. Crotts said this year’s team is much shorter collectively than last year’s.

“It is going to be a very interesting year,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We are not a very tall team, I’ve got one girl who is over 5’6” and the rest are under that. We will have to play real good defense. Have to be a good digging team and we have to get strong on our fundamentals.”

Rada said she is ready to start playing.

“I am excited about taking on the role (of leader),” Rada said. “I’m used to having older players lead, but this is going to be a new experience. I’m ready to get going.”

The Saints won the preseason tournament at West Florida Baptist Academy, and Crotts said she was pleased with the way her girls fought through adversity after losing the first match in pool play.

“We don’t know what the season will hold, but after watching them improve so quickly I am very optimistic,” she said. “We only blocked one ball all weekend, but we played a pretty mean defensive game.”

Central Christian plays at Christian Collegiate in Gulfport, Miss. on Thursday, then hosts East Hill Christian on Aug. 30 at 5:30 p.m.