Willie Francis
November 7, 2013
Gertrude Frances Norris
November 13, 2013
With a District 6-II Championship and a second-round playoff victory already under its belt, the Vandebilt Catholic volleyball team is preparing for another deep playoff run.
Vandebilt wrapped up another district championship late last month, capping its regular season record at 20-16 and finishing 7-1 in its district to en route to earning a first-round bye in the LHSAA’s Division II volleyball tournament.
Following that, the sixth-seeded Terriers quickly disposed of No. 11 St. Michael the Archangel in three games last week to clinch another trip to the state quarterfinals at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner this week.
Vandebilt is currently scheduled to play the winner of a match between Breaux Bridge and Cecilia on Thursday at 4:20 p.m.
With four seniors on the Terriers’ roster, including standouts Sydney Lerille and Erin Crane, Vandebilt will boast some experience as it heads into the playoffs.
For players like Crane and Lerille, past visits to Kenner have left an unpleasant taste in their mouths. Now, they’re looking to take the next step in hopes of bringing home the ultimate prize: Vandebilt Catholic’s first ever State Volleyball Championship.
“It definitely motivates us,” said Lerille. “It just sets a fire knowing that we lost in my four years and in Crane’s four years, and this year we’re trying to come out on top and hopefully win.”
“We’ve been on the team for four years now so we’ve experienced the feeling of losing three years in a row,” added Crane. “Now that we’re seniors, I think we’re over it and we’re ready to come back and try to get this title this year.”
Despite a three-game losing skid late in the regular season, and dealing with various ups and downs this year, the Terriers’ confidence has remained high.
Part of that is due to winning district and earning another trip to the Pontchartrain Center, but also due to the fact that the team recently got one of its most integral pieces back from an injury in setter Maggie Hamilton, who returned just in time for the playoffs.
Vandebilt had relied on Gabby Gauthreaux at setter in Hamilton’s absence, but having Hamilton back gives the Terriers more experience on the floor.
“Having someone who’s a little more experienced, that definitely helps,” said first-year Vandebilt coach Samantha Schexnayder. “She’s got a little more knowledge of where to be on the court. It’s good for us in the future because (Gauthreaux) got that step here, but it’s nice having (Hamilton) back on the floor. She’s definitely a leader and talks to the girls and tells them what she expects from them as well.”
While the Terriers have dealt with injuries this season and at times inconsistent play, those obstacles have allowed Vandebilt to show its resiliency, Schexnayder said.
“We’ve lost to some teams we shouldn’t have, but ultimately they’ve come out every day and they keep fighting,” she said. “They keep surprising me every day. We have a bad game and then we come back and do a lot of things well. They’ve worked very, very hard this year to get back to the state tournament.”
To that end, Vandebilt is hoping its tough non-district schedule this year will help prepare them for some of the adversity they’ll face in Kenner.
In non-district play, the Terriers faced strong competition from Ursuline (ranked No. 3 in Division III), Country Day (No. 1 in Division V), Central Catholic (No. 4 in Division V) and most recently at the Cabrini Tournament in Kenner last month.
Even though it’s difficult to simulate the atmosphere the Terriers will face at the Pontchartrain Center, the Cabrini event was a good challenge.
“It was very loud, very chaotic and kind of what you get when you get into State, so I thought that was a very good opportunity for us,” Schexnayder said. “We handled it OK. We didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but hopefully they got a little bit of that jittery (feeling) out of their belt so that the next time we step into that building, we’ll be ready.”
Vandebilt players know the playoffs will bring a new level of competition, but they say they’re prepared for it.
“There are a lot of great teams on our schedule this year, but it’s still going to be a step up (in the playoffs),” Crane said. “We all know that really well. We know we need to bring our ballgame up a whole mile.”
And with Vandebilt having never won a State Championship in volleyball or having even reached the title game, this Terriers’ team hopes they can make history and take home the title.
For seniors like Lerille, it would be the ultimate way to cap a prep career.
“It’s a little bit of pressure, but it’s just that desire in your heart to be there and having the privilege to be there really sets that fire underneath you to strive and do better there (at State),” said Lerille.
Vandebilt Catholic volleyball players Erin Crane (left) and Sydney Lerille pose for a photo following a game this year. The Lady Terriers are now just three wins away from a state championship after scoring a second-round playoff win this past week.
