Russell Bruce
September 22, 2009
Zenobia Barrow
September 24, 2009
Quick: Name two Division I-5 volleyball teams.
You answered the H.L. Bourgois Lady Braves and the Terrebonne Lady Tigers, right?
It’s understandable. The two have dominant Tri-parish programs, consistently contending for state title game berths.
Add one more team to that list: the South Lafourche Lady Tarpons.
The squad believes they are on the verge of a breakthrough. At 5-3, head coach Phil Bychurch said his team is gaining steam heading toward the Oct. 1 start of district play.
With seven seniors on the team, Bychurch’s Lady Tarpons believe their time is now.
“I’ve been coaching these girls since they were freshmen. It makes a difference,” the coach said. “This is some of the best volleyball we have played in the last couple of years. (The coaching) is starting to show. The girls are starting to mature. They really want it.
“I guess I’m going to have to stay on them to make sure they really want it,” he added.
The senior leaders – Lindsey Ledet, Rebecca Pitre, Elizabeth Thomassie, Simone Guidry, Brittany Griffin, Tiffany Laird and Darian Leblanc – are ideal mentors to up-and-coming players, Bychurch said. They are junior Lauren Spahr and sophomores Jacey Callais, Addy Duet and Tiffany Lee.
“My older girls have kind of taken them by the hand and shown them the ropes,” he said. “That’s what I want. I want all my girls together so I can keep our foundation building up.”
Confidence, Bychurch says, will be the difference between earning playoff time or ending the season early.
Balancing discouragement when better district teams win or getting too laid back and giving up big leads are chief concerns, according to the coach.
“They need more confidence in themselves,” Bychurch said. “If I need to call a timeout more and get into the game, then that’s what I’ll do. The more I get into the game, the more they get into the game. I’ll show more emotion if that’s what it takes.”
An area in which the Lady Tarpons have greatly improved is the serving and passing game, the coach noted.
Against Berwick last week, the team showed excellent ball control skills in their 3-1 victory, Bychurch said.
If the team consistently plays to that level, Bychurch predicts the Lady Tarpons will be a contender.
“Terrebonne and H.L. (Bourgois) are real good,” he said. “Thibodaux is not a slouch. When South Lafourche and Central Lafourche play, it’s a rivalry in itself. We just have to continue serving the ball, passing the ball and letting other teams make their mistake. Basically, we just have to keep on playing.
“If we can do that, who knows what’ll happen,” he added. “I’m excited to see.”
South Lafourche’s Rebecca Pitre goes for the block against Berwick’s Brittany Falcon. According to head coach Phil Bychurch, the Lady Tarpons are playing their best volleyball since he became coach four years ago. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
