As prep volleyball season gets underway this week, Hahnville coach Mendi LeBouef is overseeing a young, but talented, group of players.
Hahnville must replace five starters from a year ago, when the Tigers reached the Division I state playoffs as the No. 19 seed.
“This is a year of growth for us,” LeBouef said. “Right now, I’m looking for our girls to take their own ownership of what happens on the court and assert their leadership. When you have inexperienced players, often you see them tend to lay back and be tentative. We can’t have that.”
Among the players who have shined in preseason action for LeBouef has been Kylie Roux, a junior and returning starter.
“She’s experienced in our program,” LeBouef said. “That’s really big. We’ll need her to lead.”
Another player LeBouef has big expectations for is Ellie Bergeron, who will be the team’s setter this season. And Stephanie Oubre, a middle blocker, played in spots last season and will see a largely expanded role.
“She’s had a really good summer,” LeBouef said of Oubre.
She said the biggest focus, for now, is getting her players used to playing at the more frenetic pace that varsity volleyball dictates.
“We have so many young players, right now, that it takes some time,” LeBouef said. “They’ll have to learn to play with one another and gel together as a unit.”
Destrehan coach Alexis Keller is in a similar boat. This year’s Wildcats squad will be on the younger side, with half of its 14 player roster completely new to the varsity game.
That includes a group of four talented, but inexperienced, freshmen.
“This should be a season of growth,” said Keller. “We are very, very young.
“Eight of our 14 girls are underclassmen. I think we’ll be a much better team when the season is winding down and we’ll improve each game.”
Three players Keller believes will lead the way are seniors Emily Richardson and Johnesha Vinnett and sophomore Korinne Kimble.
Richardson is Destrehan’s setter and one of the team’s strongest hitters. Vinnett is an outside hitter who Keller noted as one of the team’s best overall athletes.
And Kimble has nailed down the libero spot despite entering her first season with the varsity team.
“She’s definitely stood out,” Keller said. “She’s earned that position.”
Keller said the Wildcats’ calling card should be on the defensive side of the game.
“I think we’re a stronger defensive team than offensive,” Keller said. “We’re pretty stacked and have a lot of depth in terms of girls who can really play defense.
“I think we’ll be solid in the other areas of the game, but defense should be our strongest area.”
Early in the season, she said establishing a consistent level of mental toughness is the primary goal.
“I’m looking for us to play hard no matter what the scoreboard reads,” Keller said. “You deal with the ups and downs as a team, together, and you don’t let the flow of the game get you too up or down.”
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