ROCHELLE — With the Lady Hubs varsity volleyball team’s season-opening match against the Dixon Duchesses just days away, the girls geared up in their new gray uniforms Monday evening for the program’s annual Purple & White scrimmage at Rochelle Township High School.

The Lady Hubs split into two teams for roughly 45 minutes of game action, and head coach John Pfaff said he was impressed with the girls’ versatility and energy on the court. Neither team pulled away from the other throughout the entire evening, and Pfaff said he was happy to see the girls’ competitive spirit carry over from practice.

“They were excited just to get their new uniforms on,” Pfaff said with a smile. “They’ve been battling in practice and it was nice to get them out here in front of a crowd… It’s one thing to play well in practice, but sometimes there are kids who are really good in practice but their effort doesn’t show up on game night. It was nice to see that tonight. I was impressed.”

There was plenty of offense from both teams Monday evening, with returning varsity players Jacie Wyatt and Alexis Crawford earning several points while newcomers Emma Mehrings, Grace Orlikowski and Kelsey Thompson made their presence felt on the offensive end. Pfaff said his team’s depth is a big reason for its improved play on offense.

“I think we’re pretty balanced,” Pfaff said. “Last year we had 2 or 3 kids who received most of the swings on our team, and two of them were in the middle so we had to rely on good passing. Now I think we’re pretty balanced. We have two pretty good outsides and two returning middles who have a year under their belts. We’re going to have some competition on the right side to see who can step in and be our fifth attacker.”

Senior Kendra DeLaTorre and junior Sarah Craven anchored both defenses during the scrimmage, but several Lady Hub players made moves on the ball including Emily Engelkes and setters Mandi Lamb and Hannah Lager. Pfaff praised the girls’ effort on defense Monday evening, and he said he was happy with how the girls routinely kept the ball in play while avoiding errors.

“We’re really scrappy,” Pfaff said. “I think we’re going to have better ball control this year, and I think we’re going to have more competition at every position. I think that helps… Last year we had what we had, but this year if you don’t produce in practice, somebody will be right at your heels.”

Rochelle will be looking for revenge on the Duchesses, who defeated the Lady Hubs twice last season including a victory in the regional tournament. For Pfaff, he said the most important thing for his team will be playing with the same confidence they display in practice. Pfaff said the Lady Hubs will dress two sophomores (Katie Van Hise and Maggie Duval) and one freshman (Clare Green) at the varsity level this year, a testament to the program’s depth.

“They help us at the end of practice and they make our scrimmages really competitive,” Pfaff said. “We need a new beginning… We can’t worry about what other teams like Sterling, DeKalb and Kaneland have done in the past. I think we can beat a lot of those teams, but we have to prove it.”