Deborah Carney
October 20, 2009
Mrs. Leontine (Tina) Harris
October 22, 2009
The Central Lafourche Lady Trojans’ volleyball team knew entering the 2009 volleyball season that they had a tough hill to climb.
For starters, they had to build the team around one senior – hitter Erica Robinson.
Youthfulness is a word no coach likes to hear, especially one trying to turn a program around. The Lady Trojans play two freshmen, four juniors and 10 sophomores to help accommodate Robinson.
As if that wasn’t enough to set the team back, they had to do so while playing in one of the toughest volleyball districts (I-5) in the state, where they are 0-4, alongside competitive programs Thibodaux and South Lafourche, and traditional powers H.L. Bourgeois and Terrebonne high schools.
With only four wins on the season, inconsistency has played a major part in head coach Kaycee Knight’s team’s struggles.
It’s a tough task for any team, but especially tough for one trying to establish an identity on the volleyball court.
Knight said it’s important for her team to keep its head up and not let the record be a reflection of how hard the team has worked all season.
However, at times the coach believes her team didn’t enter games with a good mindset and didn’t go into the tough games expecting to win.
“I don’t know if it’s the day and age, but I don’t find they are as competitive as they used to be,” Knight admitted. “When you play in a tough district like ours against some of those tough teams, their mentality is, ‘Oh we’re probably going to lose,’ so they settle. It’s really hard to pull them out of there.”
“I tell them all the time, ‘You can compete with anybody and beat anybody on any given day. But it’s up to you to make it happen,'” she added.
Even in the tough times the team has gone through over the last couple seasons, Knight remains optimistic about the future of the program.
She hopes to use this season as a learning experience for her young team as they look for positives in the second half of district play.
By then, Brianna Salzman, Sadie Caillouet, Abby Galjour, Courtney Landry, Bree Hebert, Cheyenne Chiasson, Kristen Gonzales, Alyssa Stanley, Donna Badeaux, Felicia Melancon, Erin Landry, Lindsey Loupe, Macy Robichaux, Heather Adams, Necol Cheramie and Demi Leblanc would have all seen playing time on the floor.
All are expected to return next season.
The valuable playing time earned by her players this season will benefit them in the long haul, beginning next year – starting with learning how to play more consistently in every phase of the game.
“We’ve been very inconsistent in everything we do,” Knight said. “Hopefully they are trying to fill in their shoes and see that they are capable of doing good things. Maybe they get a feel for it. It looks like they’re getting more comfortable with each other on the court, which is a good thing.”
Playing the stiff district competition the Lady Trojans deal with every year can only help her team mature quicker, according to Knight.
Next year, the Lady Trojans will be an experience-laden team as all of their younger players will have played in game situations.
“We’re young and inexperienced. So I think the more we play together, the better we are going to be,” Knight explained. “We’re hoping the second half of the district season this year gives us something to build on.”
Bree Hebert (15) tries to help as a teammate puts the ball over the net against the South Lafourche Lady Tarpons last week. The Lady Trojans have struggled with inconsistency all season which has them fighting to get out of the District I-5 cellar. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
