October 15
October 15, 2007
Ruberta LaCoste
October 17, 2007
E.D. White volleyball coach Mary Cavell was recognized as a “Cardinal Great” at a special ceremony last month.
Many current and former players, however, would consider “great” to be an understatement.
Through the weekend, Cavell carried a 385-185 mark through 16 seasons at the helm of a program that’s become one of the most recognized in Lousiana.
The Lady Cardinals (17-5, 5-0 in district) are currently ranked first in the state power rankings.
But even more impressive than the team’s success on the hardwood is the positive impact she’s had on the girls who have participated in her program.
The Sports Net sat down with Cavell to discuss her affinity for volleyball and what it truly means to be a good coach.
Sports Net: How has the team looked this year?
Mary Cavell: I’m really pleased with where we are this year. And I’m pleased with the unity I see in the team. Last year, we had five seniors, and in losing five seniors and coming to a squad that only has one senior (Rebecaa Bahli), I think she has done a good job. She is a really good leader and she’s done a good job balancing (the team). We have two juniors at middle hitter, Hailey Silverii and Kathryn Stock – both really good players. We have a new setter, who is a sophomore.
SN: So this is kind of a rebuilding year?
MC: A lot of people may say “rebuilding,” but I like to say “reloaded” because a lot of the young talent we have is really good. We now have two outside hitters, and one of them had experience last year – Lindsay Constant – as a freshman. The other one, sophomore Alaina Toups, is a first-year player but she’s doing a really good job for us. The other junior in the bunch is Caroline Becnel, our libero (defensive specialist) this year. She played a little bit as a libero last year and did a good job for us. I think we’re a much stronger serving ball club this year and our hitting is more balanced this year. Just a couple weeks ago we played Dominican and battled five games. It could have gone either way. It was a really good match. And we have to do that because of the level of competition in our district.
SN: You recently entered your 16th season as head coach. How far has the program come in those 16 years?
MC: Quite a bit. (Laughs) When I took over the program, they were used to just sending the ball back over the net, maybe getting two hits. But as far as spiking the ball, no. They didn’t do that.
SN: So it was more like your run-of-the-mill, gym class volleyball squad.
MC: Correct. They didn’t know the fundamentals or have any strategy in their play. So it’s come a long way.
SN: Remember that team’s record?
MC: Oh gosh. Before I took it over it was one of the worst teams (in district).
SN: Describe the group of girls you took over during your first season.
MC: I just remember telling the girls that when I took over, that I wanted to develop a program that would make them love volleyball the way I love volleyball, and that they could raise the level of women’s sports at E.D. White to one that would be respected throughout the whole state. And I really think it has. It’s a credit to the girls because they have really bought into the sport and truly end up loving it. If there’s any satisfaction I get out of this program, it’s seeing them enjoy the sport of volleyball. I’m trying to create a family affair out of this, where they can have fun on and off the court (with each other).
SN: Think your coaching style has changed since then?
MC: I think it’s a little easier now because I’ve had the years and the kids have bought into it. So as far as changing the styles, it hasn’t really changed as much. I just have to keep up with all the changes that have occurred in the sport of volleyball. We’ve gone to side-out scoring when I first started to where you can serve anywhere along the in-line (you used to only be able to serve on the right-hand side). Now you have a libero playing, and you now have the libero serving. So with all the changes that have occurred in the last 10 years of the sport, I hope they leave it alone.
SN: You say that you’re really grounded. Is it something you will even watch on TV?
MC: Well, I played it in high school and had a coach who was a sister at the Most Holy Sacrament. And nuns take a vow of poverty. So with whatever little money she would get, she’d use it to pay for our trophies at the end of the season. So she’s the one that instilled in me the love of helping a group of girls enjoy a sport and become united for the same purpose of reaching that state championship, but realizing that it’s not all just about reaching that state championship. It’s also developing the bonds throughout the season and developing a work ethic. She’s the one who taught me that . I do enjoy watching volleyball on television when it does come on, but I don’t look for it. I like the NCAA tournaments when they do come on at the end of the seasons.
SN: What else do you watch on TV?
MC: I do like sports and old movies. I’m more of a sentimental person. My most favorite musical of all time is “The Sound of Music.”
SN: What is it particularly about this area when it comes to musicals. It seems everyone really digs them.
MC: This area is grounded in music. If you look at New Orleans and this area, music has a rich tradition. And I grew up in a family where my father was a musician, so music means a lot to me. I like all types of music except for rap. (Laughs) The musical movies, when I was growing up, were a big thing. You saw “Oklahoma” and you saw “Carousel.” They allow you to be a kid. Nowadays I see a lot of shows that don’t allow kids to be kids anymore. Kids can see some of these older movies and laugh at them and say “This is fun.” The world is too fast for kids already. Let kids be kids.
SN: Anything else you do in your free time away from school?
MC: Travel. I have been traveling with Mr. Jim Bornidge from Nicholls State for 15 years, taking students to travel abroad. I love the Swiss Alps – beautiful. I’ve been all over Europe because of those tours, so travel would be my other hobby. The month of June is time for myself.
SN: So in another life, you would have enjoyed being a travel agent?
MC: I do. I really do enjoy it, and Mr. Bornidge has helped me enjoy history.
SN: Is that what you teach at E.D. White?
MC: (Laughs) I teach math. That’s my other love. I enjoy numbers. I teach geometry. People think I’m nuts at times but the patterns you see in geometry just fascinate me. I even use it on the court when I coach volleyball.
SN: Inquiring minds want to know – how many net-related injuries occur in volleyball. Has anybody had any embarrassing injuries getting caught?
MC: I wouldn’t say embarrasing injuries. I’d say myself, personally, that’s where I blew out my knee. It wasn’t because of the net, but the impact of a spike. The movement of a spike is very hard on the body. With the way women’s hips are structured, our knees take a lot of abuse. But in regards to anything embarssing, no. The biggest injury at the net has been jammed fingers and sprained ankles. But the most common place to have an injury is at the net.
SN: Think volleyball is a rollercoaster of emotions more than most sports?
MC: In volleyball, every play depends on the person who has touched the ball before. In basketball you can dribble the ball down the court and take a shot and not depend on anybody but you. In volleyball, it’s in a court situation where you’re surrounded by a lot of people, and the intensity can get really high. The team rides so much with motivation…
SN: And obviously momentum.
MC: Right. You may have to have some yelling. Some of my players like to yell after they get a good kill, and I tell them to direct it back at their team and don’t direct it at the opponents. Keep that momentum flowing for your group.
SN: Anything that makes this year’s group of girls unique?
MC: The youth, but the determination and focus they have being such a young group. This is a young group that already has the discipline and focus to reach a state title. I don’t know if I ever had a young group that has the drive that this group has.
SN: Do they have the potential to win it all?
MC: Oh yes. But as I tell the press every year, yes we want to win a state title. But I didn’t get into coaching to win state titles. It’s about building that family and bond.
(Staff photo by CHRIS SCARNATI
- Tri-Parish Times) Mary Cavell has been at the helm of the E.D. White girls’ volleyball program for 16 years and has elevated the team into a state power.
