NEBRASKA CITY - After serving as an assistant coach the past two season under former head coach Michelle Kreifels, Kylie Hein takes the reigns as the new volleyball coach at Lourdes Central Catholic.

Hein says she has been fortunate to learn from Kreifels and praises her two assistants, Jon Borer and Taylor McGinnis. She says Borer and McGinnis have helped bring a culture shift and trust to the Knights, which has been very positive.

“Our theme this year is trust. Trusting our teammates and trusting our coaches and working together as a team.”

Lourdes finished 17-16 in Kreifels' final season last year. This season, they're off to a 7-0 start and are looking to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 1999. They won the Weeping Water Tournament over the weekend with wins over HTRS, Weeping Water, Wilber-Clatonia and East Butler.

The Knights host their first home match of the season Tuesday against HTRS. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be heard on Otoe County Country (KNCY 1600 AM, 105.5 FM and newschannelnebraska.com).

- Morgan Mueller