James "Jim" Taylor Folse
October 21, 2008October 23
October 23, 2008
With no seniors and no returning starters on her roster, Houma Christian volleyball coach Christi Crowdus began the season hoping one of her underclassmen would step up and lead the team.
What she found was not one, but two leaders.
Junior middle blockers Natalie Voisin, 16, and Monica Parfait, 15, have led the Lady Warriors to a 19-4 start.
“They both are having a really good year,” Crowdus said. “They’re very consistent players and have been strong at the net for us.”
Because they play the same position, Parfait and Voisin do not spend much time on the court together. The Lady Warriors usually begin each game with one of the players in the frontcourt and the other in the backcourt. Then they rotate in and out during the remainder of the game.
“It’s definitely working well,” Voisin said. “When I’m not on the court, I trust her to take care of business, and she trusts me when I’m in the game.”
Both were on the junior varsity team last year, but Parfait made it to the varsity squad midway through the season. She also got to play in several games, which the coach said has been very valuable for this year’s young team.
“It’s an advantage that I have an idea what the competition is like at varsity level,” Parfait said. “But the success is more about the team unity we’re building.”
Coming into this season, Crowdus worried about how well an all-new starting unit would function. That has not been a problem so far, and she credited Parfait and Voisin for the smooth transition.
“The rest of the team has fed off their play,” the coach said. “We’re probably hitting the ball better this year than we did last year.”
Even though VoIsin and Parfait occupy the same the position, they have different strengths. According to their coach, Voisin is the better blocker, while Parfait has a more consistent all-around game.
“Natalie has struggled in the past with her serve, but it’s becoming more consistent. When she does serve well, the other team has a hard time returning her serve,” Crowdus explained. “Monica is every coach’s dream – very easy to coach, great attitude on and off the court. She serves well and plays good defense. She’s just a positive person.”
To improve their game, the pair has attended the Nicholls volleyball camp run by coach Chris Laird for the past few summers.
“It’s a very good camp. All the area schools send players,” Parfait said. “Coach Laird is a good coach. He teaches us new techniques we can use.”
Voisin also went to a Louisiana State University Tiger volleyball camp in July. Being among the 300 participants was an awesome and humbling experience, Voisin said.
“I got to work with their middle blockers. It definitely makes you feel really important when you’re around the big college players and the coaches,” she said. “I was one of the shortest girls there, and I’m 5-foot, 10 (inches).”
For Parfait and Voisin, the game is much easier than practices where they battle each other almost daily throughout the season.
“Some games, I’m more aggressive than others,” Parfait admitted. “But I’m more aggressive at the net when I face Natalie. She’s such a good blocker, it forces me to be a little tougher.”
“We have fun playing opposite each other. It’s very competitive,” Voisin said. “We get on each other a lot, but only in a good way. We set a goal for ourselves in practice that we take to the court during real games.”
The Lady Warriors will need that aggressiveness when they face Bethel Christian at home tomorrow at 5 p.m. The teams are tied for the District 1-V lead with identical 5-1 district records.
Bethel will be looking to avenge their Oct. 7 loss to Houma Christian.
The frontcourt play of junior middle blockers Monica Parfait (1) and Natalie Voisin have spurred Houma Christian to a 19-4 start this season. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
