For a prep volleyball player, 1,000 kills is a significant milestone – it cements that during a prep career, one was a truly feared hitter.
Hahnville’s Maci Hollingsworth crossed that milestone late in the season. The more impressive part – and the most exciting element of this for the Lady Tigers – is she did it as a junior and has an entire senior season to look forward to.
She reached that mark at the Dunham tournament, which closed Hahnville’s regular season. Hollingsworth said she was aware that she was closing in – and so were her fellow Tigers.
“So, the day before we kind of knew I was getting close, and so everyone was kind of counting down the next day with every kill I got,” Hollingsworth said.
The Tigers are a close-knit group and that kind of camaraderie has served them well over one of the very strong runs in the program’s history. Hahnville has won its district in four consecutive seasons, including a clean sweep in 2025. The Tigers reached the state volleyball tournament in 2024, that marking the first time since 2006 that Hahnville reached that point. It came during a season HHS won 31 matches.
Hollingsworth has been one of the cornerstones of the Tigers for much of that run. This past season, the outside hitter earned District 7-I Offensive MVP honors as her game continues to grow.
She was quick to credit her teammates for playing a huge role in that success. Part of the excitement of each kill, she said, is the connection it takes between Hollingsworth and her teammates.
“You need a good pass, you need a good set. It takes everyone to create those moments,” Hollingsworth said.
She began playing volleyball at the age of 12 and took to the game quickly. When she arrived at Hahnville as a freshman, she quickly broke into the lineup.
“We started her as a freshman, and while everything wasn’t completely where it needed to be – you could just see what was coming,” said Hahnville head volleyball coach Mendi LeBoeuf. “And that she had the resiliency and the grit to work through that and learn more about the varsity game. It’s a faster pace than the freshman or JV game, obviously, and we kind of threw her in there with the varsity. She picked up the pace along the way.”
LeBoeuf calls Hollingsworth a dynamic athlete.
“She can jump, she has fast feet and fast arms, and those are things that make a very good hitter,” LeBoeuf said. “She’s a good, fundamental volleyball player. But I think now she understands how to hit around the block, how to use the block, how to go over the top and how to change the pace of what she’s doing.”
Hollingsworth was part of a dangerous group of Tiger hitters, a group that included a star in Mariah Mott, who went on to sign to play at Southern University after the 2024 season. Upon the graduation of Mott and several other key seniors, Hollingsworth realized quickly that she needed to take on an increased leadership role as she entered her junior year – one in which she would be the Tigers’ go-to hitter.
“The biggest difference for her wasn’t in terms of physicality – she continued to do all of those things,” LeBoeuf said. “But she had been kind of a quiet leader, one more in the way she works and does things and the results she gets. This year, she became more of a verbal leader as well, more than she was previously. And watching her grow in that aspect was very rewarding. She took on some of that responsibility to really challenge and encourage a young team.”
LeBoeuf said it’s been great to see Hollingsworth work with all of the team’s younger players, including fellow hitter Abigail Hotard, who like Hollingsworth earned a starting role as a freshman.
“When all of those seniors graduated, I kind of knew I needed to take on more of that role,” said Hollingsworth. “And this year I had to get out of my comfort zone in that way … I feel like I became a better leader and a better person.”
