Girls' state volleyball playoffs begin this week

Photo shot by Ron Brocato
Kylie Howell of the Academy of Our Lady (pink jersey) slams the ball past De La Salle's Olivia Rodgers during a recent match at AOL. The host Penguins earned the No. 6 seed in Division II and open the playoffs at home on Nov. 4 against Plaquemine. They are one of 11 local Catholic schools to qualify for the playoffs. 

By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald

Defending state champions Dominican, Archbishop Hannan and the Academy of the Sacred Heart lead a contingent of 11 schools from the Archdiocese of New Orleans into the state volleyball championship tournament, which begins on Nov. 4.

Dominican, the No. 1 seed in Division I and sporting a 41-2 record, opens on its home court against the No. 32 seed Benton, while another returning titlist, Hannan enters the bi-district round as the No. 1 seed in Division III and puts its 32-6 record on the line against David Thibodaux, also a No. 32 seed.

Sacred Heart and Pope John Paul II are no strangers to championship play. Both will host bi-district matches on Nov. 4. As the No. 8 seed, ASH welcomes No. 25 Franklin. The Cardinals (20-9), who defeated Pope John Paul II for the 2020 Division IV title, have won nine of their last 10 matches.

Joining the reigning Division I champion are No. 3 Mount Carmel (26-10), which opens at home against No. 30 Zachary; and No. 10 Archbishop Chapelle (22-6), which hosts No. 23  Byrd (21-8).

Also qualifying for the post-season tournament are St. Scholastica and Academy of Our Lady in Division II; Cabrini and Ursuline Academy in Division III; and  De La Salle earned a spot in the Division IV playoffs.

Teams are required to win their bi-district and regional rounds to qualify for the championship tournament at the Cajundome in Lafayette, which runs from Nov. 11-13. The first two matches are played on the court of the higher seeded team.

Dominican, which had its 28-game win streak snapped on the last night of the regular season by St. Thomas More – the Division II top seed – returns with a veteran team that won the 2020 state title over St. Joseph Academy. If Coach Jessica Chatellier’s team defeats Benton, it will meet either No. 16 Northshore or No. 17 Natchitoches Central in the regional round. An earlier match against Northshore was cancelled.

Mount Carmel and Chapelle have not played against their respective bi-district opponents this season. Mount Carmel’s likely regional opponent will be No. 14 Sulphur (21-14), while Chapelle needs to win at No. 7 Sam Houston (26-11) to qualify for the quarterfinal round.

Cabrini, the No. 16 seed in Division III, and No. 17 Ursuline (13-15), have the dubious task of facing each other at Cabrini, where the host Crescents have beaten the Lions three times this season. Then the winner must upset Hannan two days later on the road to continue its quest. But that task will require an enormous effort as the Hawks hold earlier victories over both Cabrini and Ursuline.

Under Coach Don Landry, Academy of Our Lady has put together two winning seasons. This year, the Penguins have posted a 25-5 record in winning their district and earning the No. 6 seed in Division II. Their reward is a home match against No. 27 Plaquemine (11-14) and a likely regional showdown with No. 11 Lakeshore (12-16), with the victor going to the Lafayette quarterfinals. 

Also in Division II, St. Scholastica (17-15) hosts No. 25 South Lafourche (11-12) with hopes of facing No. 9 Madison Prep in the regional round.

Pope John Paul II drew the No. 11 seed and pits its 14-7 record against No. 22 West St. Mary. The host Jaguars have won 10 straight matches.

De La Salle is the No. 31 seed and must travel to Notre Dame of Crowley to face the No. 2 seed.

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