On the eve of the 2024 Louisiana high school volleyball season, 13 voters across the state have picked St. Thomas More as the No.1 team in the state overall in the VSN Volleyball Preseason Power 25 poll.
The poll combines all five divisions for one overall poll.
The three-time defending Division II State Champions return most of their lineup including three All-State players in junior libero Eleanor Guidry, senior setter/right-side Rhyan Miciotto, and senior middle Beverly Potier who returns healthy after missing the entire 2023 season with a broken ankle.
“We’re very excited for this season,” said STM coach Jes Burke. “It’s nice to have a lot of returners and then a lot of kids who have a ton of varsity experience. We’re looking to refine some of these little skills but this team has been really clicking early on (in the preseason) so it’s really nice to see.
“I think our focus is just one day at a time and that one step at a time so we’re not really getting ahead of ourselves. A lot of people may already be talking about state (tournament) opponents and things like that but ultimately we need to get better every day in the gym. So we’re just thinking about focusing on that. Like this is where we are foundationally but how big can we build this house?”
The Cougars received 10 of the 13 first place votes and ended with 310 total points out of a possible 325. Each first place vote is worth 25 points, 2nd is 24 points, etc.
Hannan is ranked second in VSN’s Power 25 receiving one first place vote and also returns several starters from last season’s Division III State Championship team. The Hawks did lose a pair of major pieces to graduation in outside hitter Sophie Bonnaffee (now playing at LSU) and setter Sarah Kirsch (who led the state in assists last year). But Hannan has looked very impressive in the preseason especially at the Hall-of-Fame Match in Thibodaux when they beat fellow defending state champ Dominican 3-1.
Mt. Carmel checks in at No.3 and the top Division I team in the poll. Seven seniors return, all of which have started in the past. Two returning All-State players lead the way with senior middle Emily Caracci and senior setter Emma Richey who finished second to Kirsch in assists last season.
Even more reason for optimism for the two-time defending Division I State Runner-up is the addition of two newcomers to the rotation with sophomore outside hitter Lila Franovich and freshman defensive specialist/libero Ali Offner.
The Cubs will be tested right away with three of their first four games coming against defending state champions starting with Northlake Christian on Tuesday September 3rd.
Dominican is ranked fourth overall just three points behind MCA. The four-time defending Division I State Champs received the other two first place votes. Dominican has lost four of their top players from last year including their dynamic setter-to-hitter connection in Gabby Marcello and Cam Chatellier (now playing for LSU Beach).
Back leading the way is senior libero Lauren Pipitone who led the state in digs last year with a jaw-dropping 801 and was also named the Louisiana Preseason Player of the Year by MaxPreps.
Country Day is ranked 5th in the overall rankings. The eight-time defending state champs in Division V return a majority of their starters including three All-State selections.
Slidell ranks No.6 after the Danny Tullis Era began with a season that ended all the way in the Division I State Semifinals where they lost in four hard fought sets to Dominican. With a one-two punch in senior Reagan Robinson and junior setter Ava Labat leading the way, expectations are high for the public school.
E.D. White has finished the last three seasons as state runner up and after an impressive preseason come in ranked 7th. The Cardinals lost two-time All-State hitter Brightyn Ratcliff, but the cupboard is anything but bare. Junior All-State middle Emory Freret has looked magnificent in the preseason along with fellow middle sophomore Kiley Johnson. Anchoring the defense is senior libero Olivia Besson, one of the most underrated players in the state.
A third second-year coach in the Top 10 who made at least to the state semifinals in her rookie campaign is John Curtis’ Alyx Carter whose Patriots check in No.8 overall in the rankings but No.1 in Division IV. The Patriots have looked very strong in the preseason with wins over Teurlings Catholic and Mt. Carmel. Senior All-State libero Marissa Taix returns to lead the defense, with junior setter Alyzia Cola-Grayson, sophomore hitter Makayla Morter, and junior middle Ina Smith leading a formidable offensive charge.
Parkview Baptist is ranked No.9 after a Division IV State Semifinals appearance last season. Gone are pin hitters Jensi Doise and Brooklynn Philips along with three-year starting setter Charlie Knost. But returning are two of the top players in the state. LSU commit senior Laurel Cassidy is moving from libero to hitter to help fill the void with the loss of Doise and Philips. Junior middle Jana Thymes is a highly explosive player who is being recruited by Power 5 colleges and will move around more position-wise this season.
Haynes rounds out the Top 10. The Voitier sisters Virginia and Marilyn became the school’s first ever All-State selections last year. They have helped the Yellow Jackets reach the Division III State Semifinals in 2022, and the Quarterfinals last season when they dropped a heart-breaking five-set match to eventual state champs Hannan.
Here’s a breakdown of how the votes would look like in each Division:
Division I
1. Mt. Carmel
2. Dominican
3. Slidell
4. St. Joe’s
5. Northshore
6. Hahnville
7. Dutchtown
8. Fontainebleau
9. Sam Houston
10. Chapelle
Division II
1. St. Thomas More
2. Teurlings Catholic
3. Ben Franklin
4. SSA
5. Assumption
6. AOL
Division III
1. Hannan
2. E.D. White
3. Parkview Baptist
4. Haynes
5. Vandebilt
Division IV
1. John Curtis
2. Northlake Christian
3. Newman
4. LCA
5. Catholic High N.I.
6. Notre Dame
7. PJP II
8. Dunham
9. Calvary Baptist
10. Sacred Heart
Division V
1. Country Day
2. Westminster Opelousas
3. Central Catholic
VSN Volleyball LIve Streaming Schedule this week:
Tuesday Sept 3rd
5:30pm Northlake Christian at Mt. Carmel
5:30pm Country Day at Parkview Baptist
Wednesday Sept. 4th
5:30pm Mount Carmel at Northshore
6:00pm Lafayette Renaissance at Cecilia
Thursday Sept 5th
6:00pm STM at Westminster-Opelousas (VSN Spotlight match)
5:30pm Vandebilt Catholic at Dominican
Saturday Sept 7th
(From the Catholic Cup in Mobile, AL)
10:00am Mt. Carmel vs St. John Paul (AL)
11:00am McGill-Toolen vs Hannan
12:00pm Blessed Trinity (GA) vs St. John Paul (AL)
1:00pm McGill-Toolen (AL) vs Mt. Carmel
2:00pm Blessed Trinity (GA) vs Hannan
3:00pm McGill-Toolen (AL) vs St. Pius X (GA)