Calli Collins sounds as if she’d be into quiet naps and picnics in the park.

Don’t let her soft-spoken demeanor fool you.

“I’m pretty calm, but I can get very emotional,” St. John XXIII volleyball’s senior libero said. “I can play with my heart, instead of the other.”

The “other” is the glaring skillset that has already earned her a scholarship offer to Southeastern Louisiana, while she’s also drawn the eye of the University of Houston. As the leader on a unit that will pride itself on defense under new head coach Preston Smith, Collins is the yin to the Lions’ yang.

“A very positive and intense defender that will push people to work hard and put in 110 percent every time,” Collins said.

There you have it. That’s the kind of player Smith, who inherits a team that finished fourth in the Texas Association of Private & Parochial Schools Class 6A District 4 last season, is hoping to mold all of his players into.

“You can’t just pass, set and hit yourself,” said Smith, who guided Fort Bend Christian to the state quarterfinals a year ago. “The team has really bought in to the whole organic part of it.”

It’s a team that includes the likes of junior right side hitter Laci Gratkowski, who verbally committed to Texas A&M Corpus Christi; junior setter Blair Moreland, who’s received interest from West Texas A&M and a few Division I schools; along with senior transfer middle blocker Dana Sheehan. In addition to a strong sophomore class, the Lions are ready to make a move this year.

“I would like to make a deep run in district and get to the first or second round of state,” said Smith, who guided St. Pius X into a Top 10 team during a seven-year stint, using a similar model he’s beginning to employ at St. John XXIII. “Offensively, we’re going to have to be very creative, and I’m going to have to train. That’s why I coach. It’s about finding ways to win with the personnel that we have. We’re going to get better every time we touch the ball so when we get to district, we’re firing on all cylinders.”

That’s going to mean new players adapting to a new coach’s system – one Smith doesn’t consider to be complex, but one that will require consistency.

“He definitely brings a different style,” Collins said. “He makes us think outside of volleyball.”

The way Collins sees it, this year’s team will be defined by its ability to overcome adversity, while gaining trust in the process.

“We’re facing challenges. We have to trust the new coach and the new girls on the team,” she said. “But I feel pretty excited and confident. We have what it takes to go far and be successful with all the key aspects of the game. I’m very excited to go play at the next level and show my knowledge from Coach Preston and grow my love for the game.”

With the gym packed during summer camps, interest peaking in the St. John XXIII volleyball community, and growing support from the families involved, optimism has spiked in Lions country.

“I’m excited about the culture and where we’re going,” Smith said. “St. John, it’s a great school. The families are fantastic, the kids are great. Everyone’s bought in. It’s not about having stars; it’s about how can we plug everybody in and be successful as a unit.”