Susan Odenbaugh isn’t looking back on last season.

The coach of the Lewis-Palmer Rangers enjoyed the best season in the school’s history after going 29-0, winning the Class 4A state championship and dropping just five sets last season. She was named national Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association.

But that is all in the past. Odenbaugh isn’t going to judge this season based on the incredible run the Rangers had.

“It’s a totally different season and I don’t think that we want to gauge our success this year with what we did last year,” said Odenbaugh, the 14-year coach of the Rangers. “Whatever happens, we just want to know that we are playing to our potential.”

The Rangers return the majority of their team this season after losing two seniors, Nicole Montgomery and Alexa Smith.

Smith had 362 kills and 72 aces last season. She was named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year, The Gazette Volleyball Big Schools Peak Performer of the Year and was one of the top players in the nation. She is playing volleyball for Purdue. Montgomery was the team’s second-leading scorer with 166 kills and 19 aces and is running track for Kansas.

If the Rangers are feeling the pressure to replace Smith and Montgomery, they aren’t showing it – and for good reason. The Rangers may have lost a couple of star players, but this year’s team is loaded with talent again.

“We have a ton of girls who have stepped up and have improved a ton since last year,” said senior Mariah Evans, who was a captain along with Smith and Montgomery last season. “We’re obviously going to miss Nicole and Alexa a lot, but nobody is really thinking of filling their shoes.”

Evans had 844 assists, 51 aces and 76 kills last season.

She is coming off her second hip surgery, but said she expects to be back for the opening game at Pueblo West.

“I feel really strong, and I feel a lot better than I have in a really long time, which is really nice,” Evans said. “I think I’m ready to go.”

The Rangers also return junior outside hitter Lydia Bartalo who had 101 kills and 123 digs. Senior Nicole Mack had 115 kills and 29 aces, and senior libero Emily McCurley finished last season with 32 aces and 134 digs. There is no shortage of talent or depth for the Rangers.

“I think we’re more balanced than we’ve ever been,” Odenbaugh said. “We’re just going to be able to run a really quick offense this year, too. I’m really excited about what the year holds.”

While the Rangers may not be talking about another title just yet, they know other teams will be waiting for a shot to defeat the champs.

“There’s always going to be teams that are going to want to come out and fight to play you,” Mack said. “I feel like that’s also great for us because it helps us push ourselves harder.”