Steven Lacy said he has big shoes to fill.

An interesting choice of words from Lacy, considering he’s well over 6 feet tall.

But it’s a factual statement as the Palmer Ridge volleyball coach looks to maintain the house that Erica Bradley built.

“Replacing Erica is a huge feat for any coach,” Lacy said. “She brought a lot of positivity to this program. To be able to win state two out of her four years is an unbelievable feat. The fact that I’m filling those shoes now, there’s definitely pressure there.”

Bradley, who stepped down as coach in January, went 85-18 in four seasons as the Bears’ coach from 2020-2023. Bradley also started and finished her tenure at Palmer Ridge with state titles.

Lacy previously coached volleyball at Falcon and led the Falcons to four winning seasons in his five years at the helm including a 21-4 record in 2021.

Now, Lacy and the players hope to continue building momentum toward a Palmer Ridge repeat.

“We have a huge target on our backs this year and a lot of work to do to defend our title,” senior captain Amelia Hansen said. “We lost some important pieces from last season and there are big shoes to fill. But we have a lot of talent coming back and we’re excited to see who steps into those roles.”

Of course, players and coaches understand they’ll have growing pains and losses. But is that bad? The Bears don’t think so.

Senior captain Lauren Clawson believes a loss catapulted the Bears to the title last postseason.

After the Bears began 21-1 in 2022 – with the lone loss coming against Valor Christian – Palmer Ridge started 3-2 last year. Their second loss occurred at Rampart, which finished 2023 with a 13-12 record.

Palmer Ridge built a 2-0 set lead on the road against the Rams. But Clawson said, “We let off the gas.”

“That was a huge lesson, and we learned we couldn’t do that anymore,” Clawson said. “We were ready to start our season stronger than what we did, and then we didn’t.”

Following the loss to the Rams, the Bears went 20-4 overall and 4-1 in five-set matches including a 3-2 victory in the title game against two-time defending state champion Thompson Valley.

“To come back and know we lost in that fifth set (to Rampart) and then win state in five sets,” Clawson said, “you could see the huge gap close and how much growth we made. We learned a lot from our losses last season, and we know we’re going to be tested this year.”

That first test comes early as Palmer Ridge opens its season against Valor Christian on Aug. 27, the back-to-back 5A champions which finished last season ranked 26th in the nation.

The Eagles also have a 58-game winning streak and are 83-4 the past three seasons.

“One foot in front of the other and one point at a time,” Lacy said of how the Bears can beat Valor Christian. “We know they’re going to go on runs and we have to be able to weather that storm. We have to play with composure and figure out what they’re doing to us and then exploit their weaknesses.”

Lacy recognizes he’s not tackling this season alone. He also coaches at Colorado Juniors, a club volleyball team, and understands he touts talent that have made diamonds of the pressure they’ve faced during their careers.

“Trust the veterans,” Lacy said. “Trust the vets and the captains. There are several girls on this team who have played a long time and they know what it’s like to be at that championship game and in the state playoffs. They know what it takes. I do my best to deliver a solid practice plan every day and they’re always willing to listen and learn.”