After securing a playoff berth for the first time since 2013, a breakthrough season came to a close for Destrehan in its Division I first-round playoff match at St. Amant.
St. Amant took a 25-19, 25-8, 28-26 victory on its home court to advance and eliminate a Destrehan team that made major strides in its second season with coach Edward Borgstede.
“St. Amant was the better team,” Borgstede said. “It didn’t have anything to do with the night it was or something like that … they’re the more well-rounded squad. They were a tough draw and to get through this postseason, you have to beat whoever it is on that other side of the net.”
Still, he said there is plenty for his Wildcats (17-14) to be proud of.
“We kept our aggressiveness up, especially as the match went on,” Borgstede said. “We did well in winning long rallies and we kept fighting after falling behind. We were back and forth with them through that whole third set, where neither team ever led by more than two.
“We’re just knocking at the door right now. We want to get to the point next year where we can kick that door down.”
Nijai Smith led Destrehan in kills with five. Allie Carmichael made 12 assists. Korinne Kimble made 18 digs while Mallory Laumann added 14.
Destrehan finished as its district’s runner up this season and swept rival Hahnville, ending a drought against its cross-parish rival.
“That’s the kind of thing that puts you over the top, when they see you can be competitive with Hahnville,” Borgstede said. “For people to see we can get a winning record again, finish high in district and get that automatic playoff bid … the future looks extremely good for us. We know we’re on the right track and that the culture’s changing.”
Nine of the team’s 13 players will return next season, with just four seniors graduating.
“We started making a big comeback at one point (against St. Amant) where we had three sophomores and three juniors on the floor together,” Borgstede said. “It just happened that way and we’re coming back, scoring point after point. (Seeing that kind of promise) really gets me amped up for next season already, for tryouts and everything. It’s been a blast, and hopefully that was the first of many good seasons to come.”
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