By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

A district championship. A deep playoff run – maybe even a state championship. It’s a safe bet that these are the preseason goals of each of the state’s top volleyball teams.

But for two straight years, rivals Riverside and John Curtis have kept one of those from the other.

For two straight years, Curtis has wanted that District 4-IV championship, the one that the Rebels’ just refuse to loosen their grip on.

 For two straight years, Riverside has seen the tables turned in the state playoffs, as the Patriots brought an early end to the Rebels’ championship dreams in the first, then the second round.

On Tuesday, they face off one more time.

Riverside (18-7, 1-0) is set to host Curtis (12-6) for the first of two district matchups this season. It’s heavily expected that one of the two teams will wear the district crown once again in 2008.

Rebels’ Coach Mandy Luminais says her team is more than ready.

“(The players) have determined that losing’s not an option,” says Luminais. “Last year, we had in our heads, ‘Well, if we lose…’. We aren’t doing that now. We know we can’t let them overcome us.”

But she realizes nothing will come easy — not against a team dead set on regaining the district title.

“Curtis is coming in with the same mindset we are. They’re coming here to win,” Luminais said. “They’re going to do everything they can to stop us from winning this district three straight years.

“We’re going to have to find the open spots. Their defense is going to work really, really hard.”

The game may be at Riverside, but for all the Rebel supporters, Curtis fans travel well – each side will have its share of vocal support. The game should carry a playoff like atmosphere, even at this early stage of the season.

“We’re expecting their football players, parents, and students to be there,” said Riverside’s Shaney Borne. “It’s definitely a rivalry.”

“It’s gonna be big,” added teammate Heidi Garcich. “The district should come down to us or them. We’ll be trying to keep the title.”

Luminais says that blocking all of it out will be key for her team, which must focus on the task at hand.

Garcich echoed that sentiment.

“We just have to play our game,” she said. “We can’t go out and think about what happened in our games with them last year.”

The Rebels are adapting, however, to how the last playoff match unfolded. Garcich says the team is focused on overcoming any adversity that may arise, like having to play from behind – just as the Rebels did at the Pontchartrain Center last year.

“We’re working on game situations in practice,” she said. “When we’re down, and they’re getting ahead of us, don’t let it hit the ground. We’re trying to put the pressure on ourselves in practice so we can work through it.”

Curtis is led by outside hitters Lacey Huxen and Ashley Henderson, and setter Lindsay Scallon.

Henderson, a junior, enjoyed a breakout performance in the 2007 postseason, and has carried that over into the regular season, leading the team in kills.

The Patriots, like the Rebels, have gone toe to toe with some of the state’s best teams already, most notably McGehee and Chalmette – the former falling to Curtis in five games, the latter defeating Curtis in four.

Riverside counters with team captains Borne and Garcich — who leads the Rebels in kills and digs – and a balanced, veteran attack that includes returning starters Ashley Forstall and Kaitlyn Millet.

Borne says that while it’s only the second game of the Rebels’ district season, she and her teammates know a lot is at stake.

“We’re taking it really seriously,” she said. “We know if we win this one, we’re even closer to winning a third district title in a row.”