Rapid City Stevens head volleyball coach Josh Lien hasn't been around at all for the past five months, but the Raider volleyball program has continued to hum along in his absence.

Lien, a 13-year member of the National Guard, spent most of his spring and summer working on becoming a 2nd Lieutenant, first for two months at Fort Sill in Oklahoma and later for three months at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Now that Lien is an officer, he's turning his attention back to his duties as a coach, but only after taking some time to be a father and husband first.

"I've got four boys age 10 or younger, and I'm just trying to stay happily married," Lien joked. "I couldn't do this without my wife (Crystal), who is amazing. I need to spend this week with the boys because volleyball season is very long for her. I got organized, I have my folder and I'll be ready for the season to start on Aug. 17, until then I'm not even going to think about it if I can help it."

While it may seem tough for a state-championship contending program like Stevens to roll right into the school year ready to go when its coach has been missing in action for five months, Lien points to the intense competition for spots on the team as a key factor in everything running as smoothly as it does. The Raider assistant coaches - Jonel Jones, Kerry Beyer, Cheryl Mills and Bob Maddox - have all been opening the gym twice a week in Lien's absence so the team can work on skills throughout the summer.

"We've got so many athletes coming to tryouts, last year we had 90 kids competing for 50 uniforms, and I just hate it, I hate cutting kids, it's my least favorite thing to do as a coach, but it's a good problem," Lien said. "They take care of themselves. With that much competition for spots on the team they pretty much have to keep working all summer if they want to make it."

Lien has always taken his team to camp in the summer, but this year he had to rely on his staff to take care of the team camp in Greeley, Colo.

"The girls have always been in charge of getting themselves to individual skills camps," Lien said. "We only went to one team camp this summer in Greeley and Jonel Jones and Kerry Beyer took them down. I hate to miss that because you learn so much about your team. But, as soon as tryouts are done we'll plan some events, probably mini-golf, a potluck or something and some other team-building things to try to get to know everybody a little better."

Both Maddox and Mills were hired as new assistants this summer while Lien was gone as well, but he is excited to have both on board.

"I think they're both going to bring some great strengths to the program," Lien said. "Cheryl has been at West (Middle School) for a long time with the volleyball program and Maddox learned the game through his sons, who played in high school, which is fine because we like to think that sometimes Stevens plays as aggressively as men do."

Lien will be facing a serious setback right off the bat, as one of his returning stars, all-conference performer Justine Blade, will be recovering from off-season ankle surgery, putting her on the shelf for what the coach hopes is just 4-6 weeks.

"I'm going to have to earn my paycheck this year," Lien said. "Blade had surgery on her ankle and she won't be ready to go right away. We probably won't have her for four to six weeks and it could possibly keep her out for the season. We really hope not, but it could."

For now, Lien will concentrate on getting the most out of the players he has, players that have been working all summer to improve.

"It's just great to be back in town," he said. "I'll be ready to go on Aug. 17."