Lady Panthers eyeing return trip to playoffs

In the 2002 postseason, the Berwick Lady Panthers advanced to the second round of the playoffs before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Brusly.

No one could have foreseen that the St. Mary school’s volleyball team would go seven years without advancing beyond the first round.

Sure, the Lady Panthers have reached postseason play every year since – except for the 2006 season. But “one and done” has been the team’s ultimate result.

Last season ended on a disappointing note, with Berwick losing three straight sets to state powerhouse Notre Dame High School.

Now, at the midway point, the Lady Panthers have a tall task. And head coach Shari Perry intends to parlay years’ worth of disappointment into a postseason breakthrough.

Six seniors – Toni Berthelot, Nadine Fontenot, Sarah Gros, Kaitlin Kates, Julie Morella and Robin Salvador – lead the squad. Juniors Billie and Brittany Falcon, Tayler Gilmore, Elizabeth Manfre, sophomore Megan Fegenbush and freshman Abigail Ohlin round out the team.

With district play fast approaching, Perry’s chief goal for her team is earning a playoff spot. Attainting that end will require hard work and few mental mistakes on her players’ part.

“We have to work on them not freezing when the ball is in play,” the coach explained. “At times we don’t keep the ball in play enough. We can correct that.”

The play of two seniors – Gros on the frontline and Marrero at libero – has boosted the Lady Panthers’ game.

“We have six seniors who start for us, and I hope they step up the way those two have,” Perry said.

Maintaining the intensity, she added, is essential to her team’s survival over the long haul.

Berwick’s district games begin Oct. 13 – later than most because the school is in a three-team district. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association reorganized districts after 2008, moving the defending state champs, E.D. White Lady Cardinals, out of District 6-IV. The Lady Panthers still face West St. Mary and Catholic High-New Iberia, who have proven to be formidable foes, Perry said.

“We’ll have to keep our heads up during those games,” the coach said. “We can’t get discouraged. I’m hoping through reps and getting (players) used to the grind of game situations, they’ll respond and be in the hunt for district.”

With the couple of extra weeks before district play starts, Berwick is refining its playing. To be game-ready, Perry has converted practices into scrimmages.

“We’ve been doing a lot of scrimmaging in practice to where they can work on game situations,” she explained. “By doing that, I’m hoping it will help the girls respond under pressure.”