The Emmaus boys volleyball team finished 2015 with a 17-4 overall record and a second-place finish in District 11, advancing to the PIAA second round after taking down District 12 champion George Washington in the first round. But 2016 will look quite different for the Green Hornets.

Emmaus graduated nearly its entire starting lineup from last year’s team, including Eastern Pennsylvania Conference MVP outside hitter Pat Bryan. Austin Brauchle, Greg Lind, Ethan Maurer and Robby Haag are also gone so the Green Hornets and second-year head coach Ken Dunkle will have plenty of holes to fill in order to reach their goal of getting back to the state tournament.

“We lost a lot of good players from last year, but probably the biggest loss would be Pat Bryan,” said Dunkle. “He was the district MVP and the kind of player that could turn the tide with one big play. But even with the losses, we have a great group of young men stepping up to fill their roles.”

Senior outside hitter Mitch Sterkenburg, junior middle hitter Carson Landis and sophomore setter Cameron Parsons are experienced players returning to the lineup for Dunkle.

Junior libero Brendan Dunkle and sophomore middle hitter Matt Swanson will be in the rotation.

“I think this year we are a well-rounded team,” said Ken Dunkle. “We don’t have any glaring deficiencies at any position. We also have depth at almost every position as well, which will give us option and the opportunity to try different things. If anything, we are possibly lacking a big play maker. That being said, I think all of our guys are capable of contributing at a high level, so while we may not have someone who will make flashy highlight reel plays, I’m not too sure we will need it.”

Emmaus opens up the season on March 29 at home against Allen.