We're counting down to the start of the 2017 NCAA beach volleyball season by previewing one of the nation's top programs every day for the next two weeks.

First up, find out what to expect from this year's team at Loyola Marymount.

In Short

Sarah Sponcil is back in action for the Lions after redshirting in 2016 and has the potential to be a game-changer, despite heavy graduation losses.

Last Season

7-18 overall
Third in the West Coast Conference tournament

The Players

Returning Stars

Sarah Sponcil | 5-foot-10 | Junior | Phoenix, Arizona
Kekai Whitford | 5-8 | Sophomore | Costa Mesa, California
Sascha Dominique | 6-2 | Sophomore | Redlands, California
Erin Williams | 5-11 | Sophomore | Cerritos, California
Kristen Castellanos | 5-1 | Junior | Los Angeles, California

Promising Newcomers

Savannah Slattery | 5-11 | Freshman | Malibu, California
Brittnay Estes | 5-8 | Grad Student | Tarpon Springs, Florida

Biggest Losses

Avery Bush | 5-9 | Laguna Beach, California
Rachelle Suaava | 6-1 | Waipahu, Hawaii
Jamie Lee | 6-2 | Efland, North Carolina

Season Highlights

March 16

1 PM PT vs. Pepperdine WATCH LIVE
2:30 PM PT vs. Loyola Marymount WATCH LIVE

Outlook

Lions star player Sarah Sponcil chose to redshirt the 2016 season, but she won't be a bit rusty during the 2017 season. Since finishing second in the AVCA National Pairs Tournament with Betsi Metter in 2015, Sponcil won a gold medal with UCLA's Torrey Van Winden at the Four Nations U21 tournament in Australia in March 2016 and finished fourth in the FIVB Under 21 World Championships in May. Last fall, she led the LMU indoor team with 402 kills as the OH1 (despite being recruited as a setter).

The Loyola Marymount beach squad lost both members of its 2016 No. 1 team (Avery Bush and Rachelle Suaava) to graduation, but it adds Lipscomb transfer Brittnay Estes, a Florida native who starred on the parque court and has all the tools to be good in the sand, and freshman Savannah Slattery, a 2014 USA U17 Elite 10 National Beach Team member and a 2015 USA U19 Elite 10 National Beach Team member. LMU also returns WCC All-Freshman team members Kekai Whitford and Sascha Dominique.

Head coach John Mayer is now in his second season at the helm of the LMU beach program. 2015 AVCA Pairs Championship runner-up Betsi Metter (now Betsi Flint) returns for her second season as a volunteer assistant.