The South Puget Sound League North Division just got a whole lot tougher on the volleyball court.

A league that already was considered among the state’s most difficult before its recent realignment, one that produces Division-I talent on an annual basis, did little to defuse that notion. If anything, the difficulty level in the North is increasing quickly this fall, thanks to the additions of Auburn and Auburn Riverside.

“It’s definitely going to be a tougher league,” said Kentwood coach Bil Caillier, whose team has won the last three North Division titles. “I think it’s good. We want to be in a situation where pressure is on us.”

The pressure certainly will be on the Conquerors — and every other team in the division — this fall. Because when the North realigned, it didn’t simply add new schools to the schedule.

Quite the contrary. Because while Auburn and Auburn Riverside were at the Class 3A level last year, they’ve been here before. Matter of fact, they’ve been here all except the past two years when they competed at 3A.

In Auburn Riverside, North opponents will receive a first-hand league test against a team that took second in the 3A state tournament last fall and won a school record 24 matches. That’s more wins last season than any North Division team other than Kentwood, which took third at 4A state in 2007 and recorded a school-record 35 victories.

Add in Auburn, a program that is on the rise with three returning starters, and subtract Decatur, a team that struggled during its time in the North, and there’s plenty of reason to believe this could be the deepest North Division to date.

“It’s a very deep league,” said Auburn coach Kim Farris, whose team returns three starters, led by junior setter Sierra Atkinson.

“It’s going to be very hard to even get in the top five. But I think it’s good to be going back to 4A. It’s tougher competition, but it’s good for the girls.”

Auburn Riverside coach Chris Leverenz has reservations about the classification move.

“I would have liked to have gotten comfortable at 3A,” said Leverenz, whose team was one of the North powers before moving down a classification for two years. “It’s not fun (moving up). You have to re-establish the respect out there after being gone two years. There’s something to be said for having a name for yourself.”

Rest assured, Auburn Riverside, which opened the season ranked ninth, already has a foot in the door when it comes to establishing a name for itself. The Ravens are the last North Division team outside of Kentwood to have won the league crown, doing so in both 2003 and 2004. They’re also the last team to beat the Conquerors in league play, having done that on Sept. 23, 2004 — four years and 44 matches ago.

“I remember it,” said Caillier, whose team remains loaded again this season with four returning starters, including North Division MVP Jessie Genger, and enters the year ranked second among Class 4A teams. “We got humiliated.”

Since that loss and second-place finish in the North, Kentwood has put together a run of dominance that has included three consecutive perfect league seasons. But the current division lineup is anything but Kentwood and a bunch of throw-ins.

When it comes to state competition, there’s plenty of history here.

In fact, since 2000, Kentwood, Auburn Riverside and Kentlake have combined for 17 state berths, three titles and a second-place finish. Kentwood has qualified for state in six of the last seven years; Kentlake in six of the last eight, including the last three; while Auburn Riverside has advanced in each of the last two seasons.

Bringing the Ravens back into this year’s equation simply makes things that much more difficult, Kentridge coach Liz Quitiquit said.

“I think it definitely adds to the toughness,” Quitiquit said. “And now, to get out of district, it will be really, really hard.”

And while Kentwood enters the season as the consensus favorite among North coaches, Auburn Riverside, Kentlake and Kentridge all can make cases as to why each belongs among the elite.

For Riverside, the optimism stems from the return of two-time first-team all-leaguer Brooke Bray, who immediately will join Kentwood’s Genger as one of the North’s premier players.

“She has taken the next step up,” Leverenz said of Bray, who pounded 28 kills in a recent nonleague victory against Graham-Kapowsin. “She’s definitely better this year.”

Meanwhile, Kentlake has plenty of tradition on its side and, of course, the return of first-teamer Melissa Kozy, who packs plenty of punch herself. The Falcons also will get a boost from the return of Holly Marx, who is among the North’s most precise setters.

“Anywhere else, she’d probably have three varsity letters,” Kentlake coach Shawna Behrens said. “She’s going to bring a lot of experience, leadership and knowledge to the court. She’s a well-trained setter.”

Though Kentridge doesn’t quite have the recent tradition of Kentwood, Kentlake or Auburn Riverside, the Chargers return enough talent this fall to make a big impact on the race. In fact, if there’s a team that could sneak up on opponents, it very well could be KR, which returns four starters, led by first-team all-leaguer Ashley Nguyen.

“I think we’ll definitely be able to compete with the elite,” Quitiquit said.

Cracking the top five, however, won’t be easy. That’s especially true for Tahoma, which graduated the majority of the talent that had the Bears on the brink of a state berth in each of the previous two seasons.

“We are young, but I definitely think we’ll be able to hang in there,” said Bears coach Kim Zorn, whose top returner is second-team all-leaguer Mackenzie Cles. “My goal for this team is to have them peak at the right time.”

The same can be said for Kent-Meridian, a program that slowly has risen out of the basement of the North and carries a legitimate shot at vying for the fifth and final playoff berth out of the North.

“One thing we always talk about is, if you want to be the best, you have to play the best,” said Kent-Meridian coach Mike Christianson, whose team returns four starters, led by outside hitter McKaley Brewer. “Sure enough, in our league, we’re playing the best.”

VOLLEYBALL: AT A GLANCE

• FAVORITE: Kentwood.

• CONTENDERS: Auburn Riverside, Kentlake.

• SLEEPER: Kentridge.

• OUTLOOK: If possible, the North is loaded more than ever this season. While plenty of that is due to the year-in, year-out success of Kentlake and Kentwood, the addition of Auburn Riverside — coinciding with the subtraction of Decatur — has given the division an even bigger boost. There are no gimmes on any team’s schedule. Kentwood enters the season as the North’s consensus favorite, having won the previous three league titles. Rest assured, however, the Conquerors will be plenty tested, particularly by Auburn Riverside, which took second in Class 3A a year ago. The Ravens return three all-leaguers, led by junior Brooke Bray, one of the most powerful hitters in the state. But Auburn Riverside will have its hands full trying to plug the hole left by exchange student Dominika Kristinikova, the MVP of SPSL 3A in 2007. After Auburn Riverside, look out for Kentlake, a team always heavy on tradition and talent. The Falcons graduated second-teamers Kathy Taylor and Amelia Hilsen, but return first-teamer Melissa Kozy, who is capable of lifting the team on her back in short spurts. After The Big Three, Kentridge has the tools to do some damage, particularly with first-teamer Ashley Nguyen back in fold. Nguyen ranked second in the North in kills a year ago and, like Kozy, is capable of carrying the Chargers at times. Meanwhile, Kent-Meridian took a solid step up a year ago, winning four league contests, and returns a solid cast of four starters, led by honorable mention selection McKaley Brewer. Expect Auburn, back up from 3A with Auburn Riverside, and Tahoma to be the division’s dark horses. The Trojans have some solid building blocks with honorable mention selection Sierra Atkinson in fold to go along with Skyler Atkinson and Michelle Ernsdorff. The Bears find themselves in a similar boat and will be led by senior setter MacKenzie Cles.

• NOTABLE: With the addition of Auburn and Auburn Riverside, the schedule is decidedly different this season. Instead of two league matches between each school, teams will face off just once in league play, putting a premium on each win. … Three players from Kentwood’s 2007 team are now playing in college: Bre Boyce (UPS), Alison Fairchild (Western Washington) and Savannah Feist (Bellevue CC). … Kentwood (third) and Auburn Riverside (second at the Class 3A level) are the only teams to have placed at state last year. … Auburn’s Ashley Parries, a second-team outside hitter last year, is now playing at Green River. … The North Division returns a total of nine players who earned all-league honors a year ago. Add in Auburn and Auburn Riverside and that number swells to 14. … Three players from Tahoma’s 2007 team are now playing in college: Meagan Ganzer (Washington State), Kaytlyn Aust (University of North Dakota) and Tori Dudley (George Mason).

• CIRCLE THE CALENDAR: Oct. 8, Kentwood at Kentridge — The league favorite (Kentwood) against a team on the rise. Oct. 14, Kentridge at Kentlake — They fought all of last year for second place in the division. Both are playoff contenders, making this a must-see. Oct. 16, Kentwood at Auburn Riverside — Auburn Riverside was the last North Division team to knock off Kentwood. Can the Ravens do it again? Oct. 27, Kentlake at Kentwood — The regular-season finale. Tradition, bragging rights and the North title could be on the line. Nov. 1, SPSL tournament at Kentwood High — In a division loaded like the North, this is a chance to see everyone on display.

SPSL NORTH LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: THE LAST FIVE YEARS

YEAR SCHOOL

2007 Kentwood

2006 Kentwood

2005 Kentwood

2004 Auburn Riverside

2003 Auburn Riverside

AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW LIONS

• COACH: Momi Bowles, fourth year.

• LAST YEAR: 8-6 in SPSL 3A play, 14-11 overall, qualified for state.

• OUTLOOK: This is a program that never went through the growing pains of being a new school. Now in it’s fourth year, the Lions are riding a wave of success that has seen them qualify for state three straight seasons and entered this fall as the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state. With five returning starters, led by Oregon State-bound star setter Megan McBride, this could be the year the Lions bring home state hardware. McBride, a 6-foot-1 lefty, has plenty of help, too, with Krystle Hansen, Alexi Morton, Alex Odren and Sharlaya Thomas also back in fold. The depth for a first league title is unquestionable, though the Lions will be plenty tested by a deep Enumclaw team and Sumner as well.

• CIRCLE THE CALENDAR: Wednesday, Oct. 1 — Auburn Mountainview at Enumclaw. This is the perfect chance to see Enumclaw star Gabrielle Sisco go toe-to-toe with Auburn Mountainview’s McBride. Also, if the preseason is any indication, this is a matchup between two teams expected to vie for the SPSL 3A crown.