Seven teams, three courts and a full day of volleyball scrimmages gave the defending South Coast Conference champions a good look at what the new 2016 team has to work with.

The El Camino women’s volleyball team scrimmaged at host Cerritos College and played six matches against the Falcons (Cerritos), Cypress College, Fullerton College, Long Beach City College, San Bernardino Valley College and Rancho Santiago College on Friday.

“I think we’re doing pretty (well) so far,” Taylor Brydon, sophomore, right side, said. “We just have a couple things we need to work on, probably passing.”

With new players and an ever-changing structure for community college volleyball, Brydon considers the team to be on the rise for the season.

“We have some really good players,” she said. “I’m really excited, once we figure out how to work together and figure out all the kinks, we’ll be really good.”

Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Curtice said she likes the new team, and reiterated the need to focus on passing, but looks forward to the season.

“Our front row is really consistent, and throughout the season we’ll progress more and more,” Curtice said. “We’ll be ready by the time season starts.”

But there is time before the season starts next week, and at least 20 scheduled matches until playoffs begin, for the team to come into its own.

“We have a lot of height, which is rare for us,” head coach Le Valley Pattison said. “Freshmen Jaylin Mot, Cheyanne Smith and Aiko Waters all played (well) and are a great boost to the offense.”

Due to all of today’s matches being “scrimmages,” they will not count toward the team’s overall record; but the team will return to Cerritos college on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9 and 10.

The team played at the Cerritos Tournament last season and earned a second place finish after going undefeated in pool play, before falling to Cypress College in the finals.

Brydon’s goal for the tournament is just one, to “get first.”

The skill of the team seems to be apparent, even as the new players come into their own, for fan and EC supporter Ivan Rendon, 21, business major.

“The team has a certain amount of uncomfortableness with each other,” Rendon, who is also Curtice’s boyfriend, said. “I think they need to work together (going forward).”