Lady Eagles enter 2015 season with high hopes

The 2014 Central Catholic volleyball team had a surprising run to the Division V state quarterfinals in a rebuilding season.
Now, a year later with several key components returning and even more that got experience in 2014, the expectations have been raised on Cedar Street.
“For starters, we have more pieces to the puzzle than we did last year,” Central Catholic head volleyball coach Latashia Wise said.
Wise said this year her team already is talking about district matches and how they want to return to the
Pontchartrain Center, a place the school has made a second home with a string of six consecutive trips to and something that Wise said has become a “characteristic” of the school’s volleyball program.
“But we don’t want to just get there this year, we want to try to get a little bit further,” Wise said.
While her team will be more experienced than a year ago, Wise still will have a young team that features just two seniors, defensive specialist Samantha Willoughby and right side hitter Lindsee Case.
The varsity roster also features three juniors, five sophomores, three freshmen and two eighth-graders.
The Lady Eagles lost a pair of all-district selections in District 6-V Most Valuable Player Kaitlyn Gros, the team’s setter, and senior outside hitter and first-team all-district selection Brittany Longman.
“They (were) a great asset to our success last year,” Wise said.
However, the Lady Eagles return a pair of first-team all-district selections in junior libero Emma Aucoin and junior middle hitter Hallie Autin, as well as second-team all-district selections, sophomore outside hitter Quincee Wiggins and sophomore defensive
specialist Taylor Picou.
Picou will try to fill the role of Gros at setter this year, Wise said, while eighth-grader Katie Hoffpauir also will see time at setter.
Wise said she can’t say who will be her six starters but said that at any time, varsity or junior varsity members of the squad could get playing time.
Other front-row players for the Lady Eagles include eighth-grader Ava Nicar, sophomore Hanna McCue, junior Rebecca David, Case, and freshmen Brooke Lipari, Bailee Lipari and Sydney Williams.
In addition to Aucoin, other back-row players for the Lady Eagles include Willoughby, Brooke Lipari and sophomores Madelyn Gros and Baylie Scully. Wiggins and Autin also will help the Lady Eagles out on defense.
As for the Lady Eagles’ schedule, highlights include a trip to face Assumption, the 2014 Division II state runner-up and Wise’s alma mater, Academy of Our Lady, a Division II quarterfinalist a year ago; John Curtis, a Division IV quarterfinalist in 2014, St. John, a Division V semifinalist in 2014; Catholic High-Pointe Coupee, a Division V quarterfinalist last year; Lutcher, a Division III quarterfinalist in 2014; and Vandebilt Catholic, who is now led by ex-Cabrini head coach Greg Castillo.
Among its four tournaments, the team will travel to New Orleans to participate in the Catholic League tournament where some of the powerhouse New Orleans Catholic schools will be playing.
In district, the Lady Eagles again will face Houma Christian, West St. John and Covenant Christian.
Although Central Catholic clinched the district title in 2014 with a 6-0 mark, Wise said the vibe among district coaches is Houma Christian will be the team to beat.
Both of the Lady Eagles’ matches with Houma Christian a year ago went five sets.
“I think we’re going to battle a little bit with Houma Christian, and you can’t leave out West St. John. They’re usually very, very athletic, and they usually give us a little run.”
Wise said Covenant Christian has improved, too.