Berwick’s Hill signs with Ragin’ Cajuns

Brie Hill will be following in her father’s footsteps as she will attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette next year.
She will be practicing and in the future hopefully playing on a court, too.
It’ll just be in a different sport on a different court.
The Berwick High School standout signed with the ULL Wednesday to continue her career as a member of the Ragin Cajuns’ volleyball team.
“It’s great,” Todd Hill, Brie’s father and a former hoops star at then University of Southwestern Louisiana, said with his daughter standing next to him Wednesday. “It’ll be a bond that’ll never be broken. We’ll be alumni. … It’s a great feeling to have her go there.”
When asked why she chose ULL, Brie Hill never mentioned her father’s playing days as an influence. She said it was close to home and that she like ULL’s coach as well as its players.
She said her father didn’t nudge her to go there but said to chose whatever was best.
“I’m excited, and I’ll get his number, too. No. 23,” Brie Hill said.
While he may not have said anything, Todd Hill certainly had his wishes.
“Secretly, I was hoping she would (choose ULL),” he said.
Brie Hill, a two-time all-district selection at Central Catholic, where she helped the Lady Eagles excel before transferring to play at Berwick High her senior year, helped the Lady Panthers reach the second round of the Division 3 playoffs this year. She said she also was considering Howard University in Washington, D.C., or Florida International as possible college choices.
Berwick High coach Heather Blanchard said ULL is “getting a really dominate player.
“She can attack the net in all areas,” Blanchard said. “She’s really improved in the back row, and I can’t wait to see her.”

Her former coach at Central Catholic, Kindra Halverson, said that Hill was a big part of the team’s success at the Morgan City school.
“Her, Gee (Garrett) and Meo (Knight), all three of them, it was like a triple play,” said Halverson, who played college volleyball at Nicholls State. “Always there together throwing up big blocks and huge hits. She worked really hard at practice, and she was a huge part of our team.”
At ULL, Hill said she may be redshirted or may play as a true freshman.
“It just depends on how it goes, because I am going to be playing a different position there,” she said.
While Hill has played back row at Berwick, in the front row, she was a middle blocker.
At ULL, she will continue to play in the back row as well as a right-side hitter on the front row.
 “It’s going to be really interesting,” she said of the move. “I’ve never really played that position … I’m excited.”
Halverson said it was good to have another one of her former players join the college ranks.
“I’m glad she got to go to UL and not just like a smaller school,” Halverson said. “It’s a big-name school around here. I’m excited to go see some games. I was excited to see another one of my players, Celene Flores get to go to ULM. It means a lot.”  
It’s has a little extra meaning for Todd Hill, who already has begun bragging to college buddies about hopefully the family’s next standout.

“That’s already happened,” he said of the bragging. “Already happened.”