CCHS volleyball team young but experienced

Central Catholic’s volleyball team may just have three seniors and three juniors on its squad this season, but don’t be fooled by the squad’s youth in grade level. They have experience.
“I’m very excited about this season,” Central Catholic coach Latashia Wise said. “We have a lot of young players back, but they’re not just young anymore. They have experience, so I’m hoping that we can accomplish a lot of things this year, starting off with a district championship. We lost that last year.
“Getting us back to the Pontchartrain Center, but most importantly, actually compete, bringing our competition to a higher level outside of our district, and I think what’s going to help us out is the experience of the younger people that’s involved in our team.”
While Wise was optimistic heading into last year with minimal losses in terms of talent but having to replace some leadership, things didn’t pan out as Central Catholic concluded its season with a 2015 season with a 19-22 mark, falling to eventual state runner-up Ascension Episcopal in the regional round of the postseason. That loss ended a streak of six straight state tournament appearances.
While a leader has not been established yet, Wise said finding one this season will be crucial to the team’s season.
“That’s going to be the make or break point for us this year,” she said. “With all the positive things, of all the people coming back, we still have to make sure that …. we find a true leader, and it may not come from our senior class. It may come from a freshman, but we have to establish some kind of leader at some point in our season leading into the district and leading into the playoffs, because that is what killed us last year.”
Returning to this year’s team are three first-team All-District 6-V selections from a year ago — senior Hallie Autin, junior Quincee Wiggins and ninth grader Katie Hoffpauir. Autin and Wiggins made the district team at outside hitter a year ago, while Hoffpauir was a setter.
Central Catholic also returns last year’s District Defensive MVP, sophomore Brooke Lipari. Lipari earned the honor a year ago as a defensive specialist.
The Lady Eagles also will have back the services of freshman Yani Johnson and junior Taylor Picou. Johnson made second-team all-district a year ago at middle blocker, while Picou was a second-team all-district setter.
Central Catholic lost two seniors from last year’s squad, Lindsee Case, a second-team selection a year ago who Wise said played a “vital” role for the team, and Samantha Willoughby, who was sidelined much of the year with an injury.
Wise said she has several options to look to in her sophomore and junior class to replace Case’s contributions this season.
She said she has a 14-man roster right now for varsity and any of them can start or play at different positions.
“I have a lot of versatile players, a lot of utility players,” she said. “I don’t have just one player that I can say this is what she’s going to do, and she’s going to do that all year long.”
This season, Central Catholic will compete in tournaments hosted by Assumption (Sept. 1, 3), H.L. Bourgeois (Sept. 8, 10), Riverdale (Sept. 23-24) and Archbishop Hanna (Oct. 7-8).
The squad’s nondistrict schedule is loaded with teams from multiple classifications who advanced to the state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center a year ago.
Among the top teams are Lutcher, last year’s Division III state runner-up, who Central Catholic will travel to for a Sept. 7 contest; a Sept. 17 contest at Academy of Our Lady, a Division II quarterfinalist in 2015; a Sept. 27 home contest against John Curtis, a Division IV quarterfinalist a year ago; and an Oct. 3 home contest against Assumption, a Division II semifinalist a year ago.
In district, Central Catholic will compete with Houma Christian, a Division V quarterfinalist a year ago and the defending district champion. Other district opponents are West St. John and Covenant Christian. The district schedule will have a different look this season as the league’s coaches elected to just play one round against each other.
Central Catholic will participate in the Morgan City High School Volleyball Jamboree today when it faces Franklin in junior varsity (3:30 p.m.) and varsity (4 p.m.) and Morgan City in junior varsity (4:30 p.m.) and varsity (5 p.m.).