Berwick will travel to face Rayne today

Berwick has a three-step process for advancing to the state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner and entering today’s matchup with Rayne High School, the Lady Panthers are two-thirds of the way there.
The team already has achieved goals of finishing the regular season with a winning record and advancing to the playoffs and winning their first-round game.
The only step that remains is beating Rayne this afternoon.
While Berwick defeated DeQuincy in the first round, 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-17), Rayne received a first-round bye as the No. 5 seed.
Rayne enters today’s matchup with a 33-7 mark and a runner-up finish in District 3-III to district champion and Division III top seed Teurlings Catholic. Rayne finished district with a 12-2 mark with its only losses coming to Teurlings.
Among their wins this season are three against Division III’s No. 7 team, Iota, who also was a top 8 seed at No. 7 and enters the postseason with a 31-10 mark. Rayne defeated Iota twice in district and once in Northside’s tournament.
They also lost to Ascension Episcopal, the No. 2-ranked team in Division V, in four sets this year, while falling in three close sets to Division III’s top seed and district foe Teurlings Catholic in the teams’ first matchup and in four sets in their second meeting.
Rayne has several common opponents with Berwick as both have lost to Lutcher, the No. 3 seed in this year’s Division III postseason, while both have a win against South Terrebonne and a loss to Sulphur. Both also have beaten DeQuincy with the scores being similar.
“Looking at our match against Rayne and the other common opponents we have played, this seems to be a very even match up,” Berwick coach Heather Blanchard said today. “We beat the same teams and lost to the same teams. On film, they look like our twin. They have two big middles who are very athletic, and we need to keep the ball away from them.”
For Berwick, Blanchard said the key for them to win the game will be their serving and service-receive.
Although the Lady Panthers have already played, Blanchard said she liked the fact they “were able to play and get the playoff jitters out of our system.”