GULF SHORES, Ala.— At Gulf Shores High volleyball Amanda Talantis begins her first year with the Dolphins as head coach. She was the JV coach at GSHS last year and has coached in Baldwin County since 2012. Before that she was the head coach at Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa.

The GSHS Dolphins finished third in the Class 6A Area 2 league last season with a large senior lineup. But a fair number of experienced players are returning with a quest for the post season.

“Right now we are working on having more consistency through each point, game and match and that takes experience working together,” Talantis said during a preseason scrimmage camp at Spring Hill College in July. “We're still building for that working experience together and these scrimmages and play dates have been a big help.”

Gulf Shores starts the season hosting neighboring rival Foley on Aug. 25 (at 5:30 p.m.) and then travels to Montgomery Academy for a tournament. The Dolphins’ first area match is back at The Tank on Sept. 1 with Area 2 rival Baldwin County High at 5:30 p.m. The BCHS Tigers also have a new head coach this year in Melissa Sessions.