SHORELINE — It will be up to a new-look lineup to maintain the Shorewood volleyball team’s recent stream of success.

The Thunderbirds lost four players to graduation and two potential returners off last year’s Northwest District 4A tournament team.

Half of Shorewood’s roster is comprised of first-year players, including a pair of seniors who are new to the varsity ranks.

“They’re a real young group,” T-birds coach Andy Robertson said. “Everybody’s got their work cut out, from the coaches down to position 12.”

Five of the newcomers are vying for three positions and three setters are competing for two spots.

“There’s battles across the board,” Robertson said.

With such a youthful lineup, Shorewood’s practices have focused on basic blocking and defensive formations.

“There’s a lot for them to learn,” Robertson said. “The one thing they’ve brought to the table is their raw athleticism. There’s a couple girls who by the end of the season they’re going to be phenomenal. But they’re pretty young right now.”

The T-birds will rely on their size up front. Junior Natalie Soules and senior Anne Gerhard are both 6-foot-2 and five others are 5-9 or taller.

“We have a really tall front line,” Robertson said. “We’ll struggle a little with our defense, because with height comes not a lot of foot speed.”

Shorewood finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Western Conference 4A South Division in 2002 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

A return to the postseason will be an uphill climb for the T-birds, considering their inexperience compared to the rest of the league.

“A lot of these kids are coming from JV and freshman ranks and the speed (difference) is just night and day,” Robertson said. “They have to get used to the speed and the only way to do that is to play matches.”