'Jills will travel to face North Vermilion in 1st round

By GEOFF STOUTE
gstoute@daily-review.com
The Patterson Lumberjills have done something this season that they haven’t been able to do since 2006: advance to the playoffs.
Patterson head coach Chasity Fontenot said that last time the team made the playoffs, she was a senior in high school.
That year, Patterson was a No. 12 seed and lost to No. 5 seed Lutcher in the first round.
Ironically, if Patterson wins its first-round contest Thursday at 6 p.m. at North Vermilion, the Lumberjills will face Lutcher, a district opponent of the Lumberjills this season who received a first-round bye.
But first, the No. 19 seed Lumberjills (16-11) must tangle with No. 14 seed North Vermilion (20-17) Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
While Fontenot doesn’t know much about North Vermilion, she said her team does well when the opponent is a “mystery” to them.
Both teams have beaten common opponents and lost to the same one’s this year.
Both North Vermilion and Patterson have wins against Franklin, Delcambre, Cecilia and Northside, while both have fallen to Westlake.
“They’re beatable,” Fontenot said of North Vermilion.
During their run to the postseason, the Lumberjills received a boost in the power rankings after a first-place finish at New Iberia’s tournament in October, where they finished 6-0.
“I explained to my girls that it was do-or-die time,” Fontenot said of that successful weekend. “They took control of the court like the team I know they are capable of being each and every time they step on the court. They made believers of themselves and proved to themselves that they are winners. They played physically and mentally like a winning team does.”
While Fontenot said the Lumberjills’ season has had its highs and lows, she said that the individual players have become team players and understand their part on the team.
“Physically, this team is probably the best volleyball team Patterson has ever seen,” Fontenot said. “The day we get our mental game on that level, it’ll be scary. We’re steadily making those forward steps and will continue to do that. Overall, it’s been a memorable season — winning the NISH tournament, and making (the) playoffs. But, we’re not finished yet. We still have work to do and memories to make.”
While Patterson has had strong serving performances this season, Fontenot said it wasn’t their strongest part of their game this season.
“We are starting to do the small things right — moving around on the court, communicating and taking responsibility,” Fontenot said. “I believe that this is what makes us a stronger team.”