PINETOWN — After losing their leading hitter to graduation and beginning the 2014 season with a first-year coach, there were more questions than answers surrounding the Northside volleyball program last August.

Words like development and rebuilding were often tossed around that offseason, but the Panthers’ players had a different idea. The production of Alexandra Cutler, a senior in 2013 who smashed a team-high 150 kills, was replaced with Alex Adams’ undeniable athleticism at the net, while contributors like Rachel Lang, Kelsey Lang and Kendall Alligood provided sound defensive play throughout the season.

The result was a surprising 14-7 record, a second-place finish in the Eastern Plains Conference and a playoff run that stretched to the third round, an ending that far exceeded most preseason expectations.

Now, two matches into the 2015 nonconference schedule, Northside finds itself in a familiar place, trying to replace the offensive output of the previous season’s top hitter, in this case Adams. But this time, there are more answers than questions — a proven coach, three returning starters and a core of varsity newcomers already making their presence known. Now, it’s about piecing together the puzzle before conference play begins on Sept. 3.

“We definitely have some stuff to work on in practice, but I think a lot of it is going to be continuing to come together as a team, not so much the fundamentals,” said head coach Kayla Maddox.

The return of Lang and Alligood has provided a surprising one-two punch at the front of the net. It’s a duo that kept Northside in the match against favored Riverside on Monday and picked apart the Washington defense on Tuesday. They are the main offensive pieces Panthers are banking on moving forward.

But there are other roleplayers in a solid starting six that can potentially carry Northside to another winning season. It begins with Anna Gibbs, by far the tallest player on the team who had some success at the jayvee level last season, while Savannah Slade has the ability to elevate and should get significant time at outsider hitter moving forward. For the new hitters up front, the goal is consistency.

“(Slade) is not the outside hitter that Alex Adams is,” Maddox said. “It could just be because she’s a sophomore and she needs to get the jitters out from being on varsity team, but I like what I’ve seen so far and know I have someone to throw in there when she’s a little bit off. We struggled with depth last year with Alex. She was usually on, but when she wasn’t we’d be stuck. Making sure we have options is my only concern.”

Players like Sarah Rhem, Tiffany Oliver and Madison Tetterton also received significant playing time on varsity last season, so the experience is certainly there.

With Pamlico County and East Carteret having lost key starters to graduation, a conference championship is the primary goal for a Panthers team looking to make yet another statement.