Volleyball practices opened for Alabama High School Athletic Association teams Monday, but one team that’s been preparing for a while is the Dallas County Hornets.

Looking to get an edge for the upcoming season, head coach Linda Moore and the Hornets participated in CrossFit three times a week during the summer months.

“It made a difference physically and it made a difference mentally,” Moore said of CrossFit.

Moore said she’d always wanted to give CrossFit a try and she knew how much going through the fitness regimen together could positively affect the team. The Hornets sold candy and donuts to raise the funding necessary to do CrossFit and participated in workouts throughout the summer.

“In the beginning, we didn’t know exactly what to expect but … they really eased us into it,” Moore said. “It’s been intense and it’s been grueling, but we’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

In a sport where communication is vital, Moore is hoping CrossFit helped her players bond. Along with CrossFit, Dallas County also participated in a one-week camp at Wallace Community College Selma in June.

Dallas County had a young roster last season, but every player off the Hornets team returns in 2015.

Moore said that can be an advantage, but it doesn’t give Dallas County an excuse to not work hard.

“We have a little bit of a headstart, but we still have to make sure we continue to work hard to get better,” Moore said. “We don’t want to peak too soon because we do have everyone back. That’s why we are trying to make sure we keep a level head and continue to remind ourselves that last year was last year and we’ve got to re-do everything over again.”

Dallas County finished second in the class 5A, area 6 tournament last season after falling to Demopolis. The Hornets season ended to Rehobeth in the 5A state championship tournament.

“We have to start all over again and work hard to get back to where we were last year and to exceed where we were last year,” Moore said.

Dallas County will play in a scrimmage game Saturday at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, but won’t open the regular season until Aug. 29 at a tournament Marbury High School is hosting.