By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The most successful volleyball season in West St. John history came to an end Monday at Ascension Episcopal, as the Rams fell to the 3rd seeded team in Division V, 25-3, 25-6 and 25-10.
Tre’shaun Trench made 12 digs to lead West St. John. Sydnei Young and Kaieonne Sorapuru each added five.
“I thought some of our girls may have frozen up a little,” said West St. John coach Glenda Mattos. “This is the furthest we’ve been in the postseason and we were facing a top team. We’ve seen teams like (Ascension Episcopal). Ascension Catholic, to me, is as talented if not moreso. But we just collapsed offensively and defensively today.”
The loss came days after West St. John (14-9) secured the first postseason volleyball win in school history, a three-game sweep over Patrick Taylor.
That victory came in the first home postseason match ever at West St. John.
“This team’s been working a whole lot since the summer. I’m very proud of them,” said Mattos. “There’s a group coming back next year that I can’t wait to work with again. There’s a level of excitement and enthusiasm that’s greater than we’ve had here before.”
Just one player, senior Sydnei Young, won’t be returning. The Rams will have a strong chance to build on their success next season.
“It’s very exciting,” said Mattos. “All will be back. We’re hoping to see a few of them playing AAU ball this year and get them into some camps to refine those skills. We had a lot more of that last summer, and it went a long way.”