NORTH BEND — Motivation won’t be hard to find for the North Bend girls volleyball team in 2007.

In a literal sense, it hangs directly above the scoreboard in their home gym — the Class 4A state championship banner the Bulldogs won just a year ago.

“It’s definitely pushing us to do our best this year,” junior libero Kelly Coolen said. “Obviously, winning state — it’s not easy. We’re not under pressure to win it again or anything, but we’re going to do all we can.”

The state title was a first for North Bend in volleyball and capped a 24-3 season that saw three players — Kelcy McKenna, Kellie Holmstedt and Carli Bowman — named to the all-state first team or honorable mention list.

This year, the Bulldogs will defend prep volleyball’s ultimate prize with an almost completely new set of faces. Of the 11 players listed on coach Les Willett’s roster, only right side hitter Jodi Smartt saw playing time at the varsity level for North Bend in 2006.

“It’s a different group,” said Willett, the reigning Class 4A coach of the year. “They’re their own team, and they’re taking steps and learning together.”

With a new set of players comes a new set of expectations. Unlike last fall when the Bulldogs’ biggest goal was to win the elusive state title they narrowly missed out on in years past, North Bend enters 2007 hoping to be a contender for both a sixth consecutive league championship and a fifth straight top-five finish at state.

“We want to compete this year, as always,” Willett said. “League is going to be tough this year. I think Siuslaw and Douglas are going to be a challenge for us. I think it’s too early to tell how we’re going to shape up.

“It will take time for us to get to where we need to be, but I think we’ll be in good shape by the start of league and ready to contend.”

North Bend will certainly have the tools for it. The team’s five seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and one freshman all saw success last year while playing for either the freshmen squad that went undefeated or the junior varsity team that finished second in league.

“It’s a great group of girls,” said Smartt, a 5-foot-11 junior. “The advantage this year is that we don’t have high expectations — that’s making everyone want to work harder. We just want to do our best this year.”

North Bend offsets inexperience with raw talent that Willett hopes to mold in the coming weeks while the Bulldogs wrap up nonleague play against Marshfield tonight,  Willamette on Thursday, and Eagle Point next Tuesday.

The younger players got their feet wet last weekend at the Roseburg Invitational, a tournament in which North Bend reached the consolation quarterfinals.

“If there’s one thing I can say about them that’s a positive, it’s that they’re excited,” Willett said. “They’re excited to play and get better. The main thing they need now is just more experience.”

The cupboard certainly isn’t bare at the outside hitter spots where Kayla Yokbay — a senior — Alexandra Mateski and freshman Haley Dunham will fill the void left by McKenna’s departure. All three have decent height and a powerful shot.

Mateski, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, had 15 kills last weekend at the Roseburg Invitational and has shown a wide range of motion and exceptional accuracy in practice.

“She’s going to be one of our better hitters this year,” Willett said of her. “She and Kayla are really stepping up.”

North Bend’s middle blockers are listed at 5-foot-7 or taller and include seniors Bethanie Edgerton and Anna Helland, who will double with Smartt as a right-side hitter. Blair Davis, a 5-foot-8 junior, will also see time at middle blocker.

The team’s defensive specialist is also its team captain Kezzy Colberg, a 5-foot-7 senior with a knifing serve.

As the outspoken leader on the floor, Colberg said North Bend’s chemistry is one of its biggest advantages.

“We all get along out there because we’re all friends,” Colberg said. “We’re on the same page and work well together.”

For the first time in his coaching career at North Bend, Willett will have two setters on the floor instead of one. Assists will be dished by a pair of 5-foot-4 newcomers in sophomore Katie Banta and transfer senior Ahndrea Medina, who played for the varsity squad at Brookings-Harbor last season.

“Our setters aren’t as tall as they’ve been in recent years. So, we’re going to use both of them,” Willett said. “It’s too early to tell how that’s going to work out, but it’s coming along so far.”

Coolen is listed as the team’s lone libero, a position she switched to from setter in the offseason. Thus far, the 5-foot-1 Coolen has welcomed the change.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s a lot more fun for me. I like passing.”

Though the 2007 season will be looked at by many as a rebuilding year for North Bend, the Bulldogs still boast a strong lineup headed by one of the top coaching staffs in the state.

Willett feels success will come once the pieces fall into place — an attitude he’s instilled in his young team.

“For a team that hasn’t been playing together, I think we’re doing very well,” Coolen said. “It feels like it’s a new slate for us. We all know the history of this program. We have a reputation here, and once we get more experience, we’ll have a chance to add to it.”