By GEORGE MAHL

Destrehan High School

The Lady Cats are probably one of the best volleyball teams in the River Parishes right now. DHS is lead by senior Atina Porter. The Destrehan standout had 19 kills and four blocks recently in a game against Hahnville.

The Lady Cats (24-4, 7-0 district) appear to be in the driver’s seat as the playoffs near. In addition, one thing the Lady Cats can look forward to is a home court advantage. Their final three regular season games are at home.

“At this level, we should be able to finish strong. I truly believe that we’ll be successful in the playoffs this year,” said Destrehan head coach Calvin Ike.

Hahnville High School

The Hahnville High School volleyball team will try and get back on the winning track after a tough loss to River Parishes rival Destrehan. Leading the Lady Tigers’ attack are seniors Trina and Flora Brown had two aces in a loss against DHS.

Hahnville (19-5) begins its district schedule this week with games against West Jefferson High School and John Ehret High School. If the Lady Tigers want to succeed in the playoffs, they will need to cut down on mental errors. HHS committed 17 in the recent loss to Destrehan.

“We made way too many errors in that game. That is the most important thing that needs to be corrected,” said head coach Mendi Lebeouf.

The coach told her team to keep working hard and to believe in themselves.

“Right now, we are 0-0. Everything that we have done so far does not matter. The real season begins with district play,” Lebeouf said.

Reserve Christian School

The Reserve Christian School Lady Eagles volleyball team has not won a district game yet, but it still has a chance to make the playoffs.

Reserve Christian (3-6, 0-2 in district) recently had a tough loss to Hosanna 16-14, 15-9. Therefore the Lady Eagles must defeat Faith Christian Academy twice to get into the playoffs.

Reserve Christian will play Faith Christian Tuesday and then at the end of the season. However, if the Lady Eagles do get into the playoffs, their first round opponent would be Episcopal Academy, a team that has won the state championship on several occasions.

“Right off the bat its not going to be easy for us if we make it to the playoffs. I think Episcopal has been state champions 13 or 14 times,” said Reserve Christian assistant coach Toni Miano.

Lutcher High School

The Lutcher High School Lady Bulldogs have had a middle of the road season thus far. They have a record of 10-10, 1-1 in district play.

“It’s been up and down for us this year. Some days we play great, some days we don’t,” said head coach Rickey Leblanc.

The team recently encountered an unusual situation. They were supposed to play Independence High School until, “We found out they didn’t have a volleyball team. About two or three weeks ago we got a memo saying that they didn’t have enough players to take the court. So, it was tough because I couldn’t find anyone to play us on that date,” Leblanc said.

The Lady Bulldogs have a difficult schedule in the upcoming days. After a game with St. Charles Catholic School, the Lady Bulldogs will try to defeat the E.D White High School Lady Cardinals.

EDW (14-6, 3-0 in district) is coming off an impressive win against St. James High School. The Thibodaux school defeated the SJ Lady Wildcats 15-1, 15-6.

“Those two games are crucial. E.D. White is head and shoulders above all of us,” Leblanc said.

West St. John High School

The West St. John High School Lady Rams are having a difficult season at the moment.

“We really have been struggling. Hopefully, that win against Redeemer-Seton will turn us around,” said Lady Rams head coach Germaine Roussel.

WSJ earned its first district win in defeating Redeemer, 15-9, 15-9. The Lady Rams (1-8, 1-2 district) were supposed to play against East St. John High School last week, but because of exams being pushed back, the game was canceled.

Roussel said she hopes to reschedule it before the season ends. The coach added that she is disappointed in the team’s serving and the play of her seniors.

“I was counting on them (seniors) to step up for us this season. I’m hoping they still can,” she said. “I still believe though that the win against Redeemer will give us confidence to carry into the remainder of the season.”

The future years for the Lady Rams may be brighter than the present.

“Our JV (Junior Varsity) kids have been playing good all year. Hopefully, that will start to payoff next year,” Roussel said.

St. James High School

The 2002 St. James High School Lady Wildcats have made a dramatic turnaround compared to last year’s squad.

“We didn’t win a game last year. This year we are 6-10. I think we are taking bumps but making improvement,” said head coach Joe Gauthreaux.

“I think this season is better because of more experienced players,” said team captain Antoinette Costly.

She credited team members who played volleyball in the summer as another reason for the turnaround.

Recently, the Lady Wildcats played a tough game against E.D. White High School, but fell short.

“I think we were flat in that game. I don’t think both teams were playing their best,” Gauthreaux said.

St. James still has a shot at making the playoffs. If the Lady Wildcats win the rest of their games, they will have possession of second place and a likely birth in the playoffs.

“There is still a lot to be determined as far as the playoffs go. But if we have all our players back we should be fine,” concluded Gauthreaux.

St. Charles Catholic High School

The St. Charles Catholic High School Lady Comets picked up a key road victory recently over Lutcher High School to improve their record to 12-9, 2-1 in district.

SCC appears to be in good shape for the playoffs because LHS must beat them twice to garner a postseason spot.

“The win against Lutcher was a big win, but not our biggest win,” said SCC head coach Michelle Dearmit.

According to Dearmit, the Lady Comets have been holding their own and working to improve the “little things.”

“We’ve just been working on the basics lately. Hopefully, that will be enough to get us into the playoffs,” she said.

East St. John High School

The East St. John High School Lady Wildcats are currently having a down year. ESJ is 5-14 overall, but did pick up a victory recently against South Lafourche High School.

Junior Christina Maguire led the Lady Wildcats’ attack with six aces in the victory.

East St. John has three regular season games left. On Tuesday they travel to Grace King High School and on Thursday Riverdale High School comes to the ESJ gym. The team will close out the season Oct. 29 at Bonnabel High School.

Riverside Academy

The Riverside Academy Lady Rebels fought hard but fell short in a recent match against Destrehan High School.

“We’ve haven’t had the magic lately. I think we better find it fast,” said RA head coach Jenny Zeringue. “I think the kids are capable. This is just one of the down times right now.”

The Lady Rebels are currently 17-7, 2-1 in district, and have surprised their head coach with their spirited performance thus far in the season.

“It has been a phenomenal season. The girls have far surpassed any expectations,” Zeringue said.