Braves volleyball benefits from one-two punch

The H.L. Bourgeois girls’ volleyball team packs a powerful one-two punch in juniors Sadie Hebert and Brianne Bergeron.

Hebert is averaging nine kills and Bergeron is averaging 22 assists per match.

Both will play pivotal roles in the Lady Braves push for the playoffs.

The Sports Net met with Hebert and Bergeron to chat about the season.

Sports Net: First off – your hands and wrists. Do volleyball players endure a certain level of abuse with all of the hitting involved?

Brianne Bergeron: With setting, your shoulders and legs get sore, but I’m pretty much fine.

Sadie Hebert: I just sprained my ankle like three weeks ago.

SN: But the wrists are OK then?

BB: When you’re digging the ball it might sting, but it’s really nothing.

SN: Your coach said in an e-mail that you’re both outstanding volleyball players, but you’re both much more successful when you’re playing together.

BB: We’ve been playing with each other since the seventh grade, and whenever we have our good times, we’re on. My sets end up being really good and she can slam them down.

SH: Without each other, we wouldn’t be as good.

SN: Be honest. Who do you feel has the tougher job?

BB: (Laughs) I don’t know.

SH: It’s kind of the same.

BB: If I don’t get a good pass, then she can’t get a good set.

SN: So what shape in the volleyball team in these days? The Assumption game was a big win.

SH: I think we’re going to win the rest of the season.

BB: We’re going to definitely get to the playoffs this year and the Pontchartrain Center. Last year we had to play Terrebonne in the first round, and I guess just being away at Terrebonne kind of shook us up.

SH: Yeah, but this year will be much better.

SN: Everyone is all hyped up about the football team at H.L. Bourgeois. Think it would be nice to get some of that support for the volleyball team?

SH: I think it makes us want to win more when we have a bigger crowd.

BB: It makes us want to prove to everyone else that just because one sport is having problems, it doesn’t really affect everyone else’s sports and that we can all stick together.

SN: Are you talking about the recent incident surrounding (football) coach Randy Boquet?

BB: Yeah…that we can all still support each other. Some of our best friends are on the football team, so we’re there for them and they’re usually here for us.

SN: So football players do come to your games then?

SH: Oh yeah. (Laughs)

SN: What do you both do in your free time away from the courts?

BB: (laughs) We’re like never away from the courts.

SH: We sometimes go hydro-sliding with our coach.

SN: What’s that?

SH: Where a boat pulls a intertube…

BB: …in the water. Our coach takes a couple of us every now and then to go with his son, who’s a really good friend of ours. Outside volleyball, I’m also on the swim team.

SH: And I play tennis and soccer.

BB: And I also run track and play soccer.

SN: Big fan of watching volleyball on TV, or is it one of those sports that’s more enjoyable to play?

BB: It’s definitely better to play, but I like watching beach volleyball. That’s exciting.

SH: Whenever I got hurt (ankle) I had to watch, and that was really not good.

Brianne Bergeron (left) and Sadie Hebert are optimistic about H. L. Bourgeois’ chances of make a deep playoff run. (Photo by CHRIS SCARNATI

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