It was a particularly trying and grueling stretch in early September for Destrehan, when over a nine-day span the Ladycats dropped seven out of eight matches.
That tough run now only seems notable because it preceded a giant jumping off point for DHS – the Wildcats reeled off 12 victories in a row, that streak finally coming to an end this week after a loss at Lutcher.
Destrehan (16-8) is firing on all cylinders in Adison Giambrone’s second season as the team’s head coach, something she attributes to a simple reason.
“This group is special,” Giambrone said. “This mindset they have, I haven’t been around anything like it as a coach, even at the college level – we do have nine seniors, but even more than that it’s the way they support each other and how everyone gets up for everyone else’s success. They each want the best for one another.”
The chemistry is there on the floor as well, and one big step forward has been on the defensive side of the game. Giambrone said her players have been a lot more assertive and decisive defensively, and that’s gone a very long way.
“They’re taking bigger risks on defense,” she said. “Early on, we were kind of watching the ball travel by, not sure if it’s going in or out, and not trying to get our hands on every single ball. I think our mentality on defense has really shifted for the better over the past month or so.”
Giambrone, who played as a defensive specialist herself at McNeese State, loves to see it, and ditto for the full buy-in from her team leaders.
Khara Morton is the team’s most dangerous and experienced hitter, and she leads in multiple ways.
“She’ll celebrate anyone and everyone – she’s a great teammate. You can also see she’s growing physically and mentally stronger. She hits the weight room and puts the work in week after week. She takes coaching in stride and is here to win and to get better,” Giambrone said.
Paris Richard moved from outside hitter to libero after last season and the junior has taken quite well to it.
“I come from a defensive background and I always feel that the libero has the biggest voice on the court – Paris has taken that in stride,” Giambrone said.
Harmony Howard is only a sophomore but the outside hitter has made a huge impact in the lineup. Ditto for junior Koi Ursin, who is closing in on 500 assists already for the season.
It’s all added to a mix that saw Destrehan not only reel off those 12 wins in a row, but the Ladycats lost just one set during that entire span – DHS won 32 of 33 sets in all over the course of that streak, besting a list of schools including Chapelle, Ursuline and Barbe (which accounted for the lone set taken from DHS) over that time.
“It was nice to be riding high like that for awhile,” said Giambrone. “The vibe’s been really great. We’re finding open spots on the court and have been able to use our height to our advantage.”
Be the first to comment