By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. Charles is off to a strong start under new volleyball coach Kristen Sullivan, toppling Lusher and Pope John Paul II this week to begin 2-0.

St. Charles opened the season with a victory in three games at home over PJP II, 26-24, 25-11 and 25-14.

Heather Orillion had six aces and seven kills. Chelsea Loupe added seven kills. Nicole Doming had five kills of her own.

Sullivan said that she saw her team settle down after a down to the wire first game

“I think they might have had some first game jitters,” she said. “A little nervous and excited in front of a good crowd. After a little while, they started to get comfortable and focused on what they had to do. We made a couple of errors but then got it out of our system.”

On Thursday, SCC returned to its home court to host Lusher. The road team wouldn’t fall as early or as easily as the Comets’ previous foe, as the Lions brought SCC to the verge of a loss after taking a 2-0 lead.

But the Comets regrouped and finished in convincing fashion, taking the match 18-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-8 and 15-8.

Doming had seven aces and five kills. Loupe had eight kills, while Alex Hitt added five kills of her own. Raven Becnel notched 19 assists.

Sullivan said that the win was very promising in that it showed her team’s willingness to fight through adversity.

“It showed character,” she said. “Getting down and picking each other up. It’s something we’ve talked about, something they’ve struggled with in the past. You could see the excitement.

“And the way they played at the end, that’s something you can always call back on. Remember how it feels, because you did it before. They’re starting to see the fruits of their labor, which is important.”

She noted that a turning point in the match came with Orillion on the serving line in the third game.

“She served really tough in that game,” Sullivan said. “She made a couple of aces in a row and it sparked us to a lead. She had five aces and most came in that game. It helped pick us up.”

The Lady Comets (2-0) return to action today at 11 a.m. against East St. John.