Vandebilt roars to State Championship win

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The Vandebilt volleyball team accomplished its goal.


They won their last game of the season and took home the big trophy.

The Lady Terriers won the Division III State Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Pontchartrain Center, scoring a four-set victory over St. Michael in the Championship Match.

Vandebilt coach Greg Castillo called the team’s shot in the preseason, stating at Terrebonne General Medical Center’s Tri-Parish Media Day that the team had one goal – to win it all.


That wish became reality as Vandebilt overcame a sluggish start in the first set to roll in four sets (13-25, 25-13, 25-10, 25-17) to the win.

It is the Lady Terriers’ first-ever state championship in volleyball.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the kids,” Castillo said to the room of reporters in the post-match news conference. “They really wanted to do this and they earned it. It’s a great accomplishment and it’s something they’ll remember forever.”


The start was a little ugly.

The first set was a bit of an error-fest for the Lady Terriers, who fell behind early and never recovered, surrendering a lop-sided loss to the Warriors.

St. Michael star Amber Igiede did a lot of the damage in that set, pounding the ball to the floor on several occasion, including on the final point, which sealed the win.


“The nerves got to (us),” Castillo said.

Once settled, Vandebilt’s defense made sure St. Michael’s offensive roars were reduced to whispers.

The Terriers played beautiful defense for the rest of the match, stymying every rally the Warriors would attempt with a combination of blocks and digs.


Once in possession of the ball, Vandebilt’s combination of Andrea Buquet and Emily Gauthreaux were too much for St. Michael.

Buquet served up more than 40 assists, while Gauthreaux powered down 26 kills – earning MVP honors for the title match.

Brittany Theriot and Grace Borne also played a large role with Theriot providing countless digs and Borne keeping the ball on the Terriers’ end of the net with dominant service play.


“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” Gauthreaux said after the win. “But it was even better than we imagined it would be. It means a lot to us.”

Vandebilt’s dominance in the match started in the middle of the second set. St. Michael and the Lady Terriers split the first 20 points of that set – an even 10-all tie.

But at that point, the tide turned significantly. Vandebilt stormed to a 15-3 run late in the second set to tie the match at one set apiece, then roared out to a huge lead in the third set, never looking back – even while St. Michael coach Rob Smith called several timeouts to try and stymie the momentum and slow the pace of the game.


It didn’t work.

Vandebilt won the third set easily, then scored the first six points of the fourth set to grab the match by the throat.

St. Michael rallied and cut Vandebilt’s lead to 18-13 at one point in the final set, but never got closer.


The final point of the match was a short one.

St. Michael served to Vandebilt, who dug the ball, then set it at the net for a kill – a fitting end to a match dominated by the No. 1 seed of the bracket, a team which played like that ranking on Saturday.

Prior to beating St. Michael, the Terriers roared in two other matches at the Pontchartrain Center.


They beat E.D. White in straight sets (25-14, 25-13, 25-19) on Thursday, then won arguably the match of the whole tournament on Friday – a five-set thriller against Ursuline Academy.

In that match, Vandebilt squandered a 2-sets to none lead, then collected itself and battled back, scoring a 15-9 win in the decisive fifth set.

Castillo said once the semifinals match ended, he had a good feeling that his team would get the monkey off its back from last year’s loss and find a way to win the championship.


The slow first-set loss didn’t help, of course

But the team battled back in a big way to get the win – just like a champion would do.

“They kids love to play,” Castillo said. “They play as a team and everyone has a role and everyone has been a part of our success. It’s been great.”


In addition to Vandebilt and E.D. White, other local teams competed at the Pontchartrain Center this week.

In Division II, both South Lafourche and South Terrebonne made it to the quarterfinals, but neither team was able to win a set while there.

South Terrebonne lost in straight sets to Assumption (25-12, 26-24, 25-13) – their fourth loss against the Lady Mustangs this season.


Right after the Lady Gators lost so did South Lafourche. The Lady Tarpons lost in straight sets to St. Scholastica (25-14, 25-20, 25-23) – ending the most successful season in the history of the South Lafourche program.

The Lady Tarpons have just one senior and figure to be back in contention again next season.

Vandebilt volleyball


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