St. Charles Comets kick off district play by sweeping Bulldogs in three games

By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

When St. Charles took third place in the Morgan City Tournament last weekend, there was one particularly bittersweet moment – one of the Comets two losses came at the hands of district rival Lutcher.

And after St. Charles fell to Newman in three straight games (25-11, 25-17, 25-17) on Tuesday, one would certainly wonder if the Comets’ confidence was shaken entering Thursday’s district opener at Lutcher.

Hardly.

Instead, St. Charles served notice of its arrival to the rest of District 4-III, and most certainly, the Bulldogs. The Comets swept the match on Lutcher’s home floor, winning 25-20, 25-18, and 25-17.

&#8220After Lutcher beat us in the tournament over the weekend, it became a mental hurdle for us to clear,” said St. Charles Coach Brandy Ryan. &#8220They pulled together as a team. The entire team played so well.”

Courtney Western led the Comets (13-6) with 20 assists and three aces. Lauren Coniglio had ten kills and five blocks. Meg Gustafson also had five blocks. Ashley Trosclair had 11 digs.

Everyone contributed to such a degree that Ryan could not single out any one performer as shining above the rest – they were all that good on Thursday.

&#8220We were very focused. The team was phenomenal,” Ryan said. &#8220Everyone stepped it up for this game. It’s good for the kids, and good for the school.”

The loss snapped what had been a bit of a slide in non-tournament play, after a close loss at home to Riverside and losses at Country Day and Newman.

Lutcher and St. Charles will have a rematch on October 9 at St. Charles.

St. Charles returns to action on Tuesday as it travels to Terrebonne. Its next district game will be Wednesday at Brusly.