Northview will hold the volleyball team’s annual Pre-season Classic next Thursday with three teams making the trip to participate in the tournament.

The Lady Chiefs will host Escambia High School out of Pensacola,Fla., Jay High School and Central High School out of Crestview, Fla.

The Classic will have two courts set up with the first games of the tournament going on at the same time. Following the first games, the winners will play each other, while the losers play each to determine the third-place competitor.

With the Classic less than a week, away and the season soon to follow, the Lady Chiefs have been practicing for their opener against Pensacola Catholic, which takes place on Aug. 30 at Northview.

Practices officially began for Northview on Aug. 8 with the team completing their second week of practice on Friday.

Things have been business as usual to prepare for the Classic and the season, Lady Chiefs head volleyball coach Betty Heaton said.

“Everything has gone well,” she said. “The girls are showing improvement, but we still have a long way to go. Having so many new people to varsity and to volleyball in general has been a challenge to prepare the team.”

During practice, the Lady Chiefs have been putting in effort to perfect different aspects of the game they look to dominate.

Working as a team and passing are two things that Heaton has had her team looking to improve, she said.

“Mainly, we are working on our ball control,” she said. “Having so many young girls on the team has increased our attention on serves, passes and communicating. We just need to be successful in controlling the ball on our side of the court. That’s our priority at this point.”

Once the season begins, the Lady Chiefs will look to compete for their district and reaching the playoffs.

A successful season to Heaton will be one with effort, she said. She also added that it will take a lot to reach a winning season.

“I want our team to go out and play hard,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of work for a successful season. I think the girls have the skill level, but they need to work on the mental aspect of the game. Volleyball is a demanding game with different things happening every day. It can be overwhelming for a young player, but I think once they adjust, we can have success.”