The BEA girls have new basketball coaches for the upcoming season. Pictured above, front row, left to right: head coach Chris Voss, Lola Lundquist, Olivia Dutton, Leah Becker, Kate Armon, Clara Ziegler, Erika Gaydon, Ashlyn Klinkner, coach Travis Preuss. Back row, left to right: coach Katie Alford, Eloise Blair, Chloe Groe, Sophie Keister, Aubrey Hueper, Madeline Schiltz, Carol Schrader, Madelyn Ferguson, coach Kali Erichsrud.

People attending Blue Earth Area girls basketball games this season will see some new faces on the sideline as well as some familiar faces who have returned to their alma mater to assist in coaching the team.

Chris Voss takes over as the head coach for the Bucs. He was the top assistant for Fairmont’s boys program for five years under head coach Jared Thompson. He also was the B-squad coach for two years and later was the assistant coach for the Cardinals’ girls program under Sara Junkermeier.

BEA graduates Katie (Erdahl) Alford and Kali (Anderson) Erichsrud join the coaching staff as assistants. Caitlin Rorman, one of the most productive offensive players to ever suit up for the Bucs, will coach the C-squad. Another newcomer, Travis Preuss, will coach the B-squad. Ryan Dutton is a volunteer assistant.

Voss knows he will be putting a young team on the floor.

“We only have two seniors and two juniors on the team,” Voss explains. “Our only returning starter, Eloise Blair, who is also a junior, is out for the season with an injury she sustained during the volleyball season. I am not one who uses the term rebuilding very often – but if there was ever a time to use it, this would be the time.”

He says the girls are anxious to learn.

“We are so young and right now we are just worried about getting better for the future,” he comments.

Voss and the team are working on setting goals for the season.

“We are breaking the season into four segments,” he comments. “We are just striving to improve as the season progresses. We are not talking about wins and losses. We want to get better at the fundamentals of the game.”

While working with the older athletes, he says plenty of time will be spent with the younger players.

“We have to focus on the younger kids,” Voss states. “That is where it all starts.”

He expects Fairmont to be a top contender in the Big South Conference.

“They are the opposite of our team,” he notes. “They are a very experienced, senior-dominated team. Waseca lost a couple of good players but should be very good and I expect Jackson County Central to be tough, also.”

After conducting the opening two weeks of practice, Voss says he has enjoyed getting to know the players.

“They are great kids,” he says. “They understand where the program is and want to leave it in better shape by the time they leave.”