New season, new faces, but it's the same mission for the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team that kicks off their 2015-16 OUA volleyball season this weekend.

The Lakers, coming off an improved season are looking to continue their progress and hopefully establish a consistent climb in the OUA/CIS ranks.

With seven new players and three new coaches – the Lakers will need a little time to gel, but are confident that they are on the right path.

Head coach Marc LaRochelle said he's happy with what his team has shown to this point, but he knows there is a lot of work ahead of them.

"With every practice and every match we are gaining valuable experience. We have grown significantly since the beginning of the year and our desire to compete is making us better individually and collectively as a group," he said.

LaRochelle is a veteran coach, however, the program is only in its third season of OUA play, meaning they are still maturing as a CIS program.

The goal since joining the OUA has been to establish a culture around what it takes to be successful against some of the top teams in the country – teams like Toronto, Ottawa and Ryerson, who Nipissing has the unfortunate pleasure of meeting several times a season.

From Year 1 – 2012-13 – to their second year – 2014-15 – the Lakers have made strides in the right direction, but with some turnover, it's important to continue.

"At the beginning of the year we challenged our veterans to set a high standard in work ethic, commitment, compete level and to continue to build on the culture necessary to achieve success as high performance athletes. They have responded very well and have demonstrated strong leadership skills," LaRochelle explained. 

With all the new faces it has taken some time to understand the system, role and responsibilities within the system and building communication lines. To their credit the girls have work diligently and with every practice and match played we are becoming more confident and executing at a higher level."

Nipissing will open with a long road trip, as they head to Thunder Bay to face the Thunderwolves Friday evening to kick off the season.

The Lakers were able to see the Thunderwolves in a pre-season tournament and, in the battle of the Bays, Nipissing came out on top 3-1.

"It has been a long pre-season and everyone is looking forward to beginning the regular season," LaRochelle said. "Lakehead is a very well coached team and we are expecting that they will bring a lot of energy in their home gym. It will be important for us to remain focused, eliminate distractions and execute at a high level."

While the season starts with Lakehead, the opponent isn't the biggest factor in the success of Nipissing – how they progress, compete and play consistently will ultimately determine how and where they finish.

Game time is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. versus Lakehead in Thunder Bay.