1. Greely: Greely has nine returning players and enough depth that figuring out the starting six will be tough for Coach Kelvin Hasch. Most of the team played during the summer. The most motivated of the Rangers may be Maggie Bradley, who is faster and stronger than she was last fall and wants to play Division I next year.

2. Biddeford: After losing one of the state’s best players in outside hitter Alyssa Drapeau, the Tigers will be looking for leadership from defensive specialist Renee Trottier and junior Katelyn Lebreux. The Tigers also have power in a pair of middle hitters who Coach Ruth Shaw expects will make an impact, sophomore Bailey Cote and junior Autumn Dube.

3. Falmouth: Coach Gary Powers’ team finished 15-3 last year, its second year as the state runner-up. Falmouth is young this fall, and Powers says there is more parity in Class A for the first time in several years, but he hopes his team will be in the mix. Many others expect the Yachtsmen to contend again.

4. Scarborough: With Brittany Bona, Scarborough is positioned to become one of the state’s dominant teams for the first time. A physical outside hitter, Bona is also a team leader, and her coach said the untold story with the Red Storm is the supporting cast. Scarborough finished 7-7 a year ago in its first year with new coach Jon Roberts, who brings a wealth of state title experience from Connecticut.

5. Yarmouth: Yarmouth drops down to Class B, and the Clippers are excited about the change, but they still have a predominantly Class A schedule. After seeing his team beat some of Class A’s best last year, Coach Jim Senecal likes the Clippers’ chances.

– Deirdre Fleming, staff writer