By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. Charles Catholic and East St. John are riding young rosters to attempted improvements on the volleyball court in 2014. 

For the Comets, Meghan Ericksen steps in as the team’s new volleyball coach and is stressing building chemistry and mental toughness among her players.

“A big thing for us is playing through bad stretches,” Ericksen said. “If we miss a point, just play on through the next one. If we fall behind, keep playing like its 0-0. Don’t play to the scoreboard.”

Kaitlyn Lowry returns as the Comets’ senior middle blocker, and Ericksen said she’s being counted on as a team leader.

“She’s the captain of our team,” Ericksen said. “She’s embraced that leadership role. She’s the one that gets everyone on our team fired up.”

Grace Mohon and Kristen Remondet are also key players, at setter and outside hitter respectively.

SCC advanced to the regional round of the postseason in 2013 after earning the No. 17 seed in Division IV after a late-season surge. 

Much of that team has graduated, but Ericksen believes the team can push for a winning record. 

“Our expectations are to do very well,” she said. 

Meanwhile, at East St. John, Jackson Manuel steps in as the team’s new head coach for Ronnie Smith, who slides over into an assistant coaching role. 

Smith, who spent the summer as head coach with the club, said the Wildcats’ team of largely first-year starters are looking to improve on the team’s 10 wins from a season ago.

“We have five seniors, and three in our main core, but the majority of our kids are underclassmen,” Smith said. “We’re real young.”

Two starters from the 2013 team return: setter Jessica Scioneaux and outside hitter Melinda Perrilloux. 

Scioneaux’s passing and leadership, Smith said, is a strength for the team.

“It’s her first year setting and she’s doing an excellent job,” he said. “Our kids are really hungry this year and it’s a fun group to coach, given that.”