Division III Quarterfinals
History tells us that each of the five divisions at the state tournament will have its share of drama and upsets but maybe no single division is more “must see” this year than Division III.
Defending State Champs Hannan who closed out the regular season as the No.1 ranked team across all five divisions in the VSN/GeauxPreps Power 25, leads the charge.
A four-year buildup for No.2 seed Haynes has the Yellow Jackets bursting with confidence.
Bayou rivals No.3 Vandebilt and No.6 E.D. White square off just 16 days after the Terriers edged out the Cardinals in a five-set war 18-16 in the final set to clinch a district championship.
And then there’s Parview Baptist whose 1-2 punch of Laurel Cassidy and Jana Thymes rivals anyone in the state.
Get the popcorn and/or nachos ready!
No.1 Hannan vs No.9 Westlake Thursday 2:30pm
The top-seed Hawks lost four of their first 11 games of the season. That was enough for coach Bekki Bonnaffons to make a change to her lineup as she flipped a pin-hitter and libero. It’s hard to argue with the results as Hannan heads to the Cajundome winners of 21 out of their last 22 games.
Westlake is making its first state tournament appearance since 2019 after edging No.8 Iota in a five-set thriller at Regionals. They went 1-7 vs teams that were ranked in the VSN/GeauPreps Power 25 beating Fontainebleau in September.
Coach’s Comments:
Hannan
Westlake has some formidable players who hit well when they get the ball. We will have to serve tough and work to take them out of their offense. Our hitters will have to be aware of where their blockers are and we will need to move the ball around.
We will continue to remind the girls that we need to stick to our game, our rhythm. We need to make sure we play hard and with confidence, remembering how we got here. We need to have fun because we are doing well!” Bekki Bonnaffee
Stats
Hannan
Mia Phillips 407 kills
Bailey Bevolo 229 kills/57 blocks
Reese Foster 199 kills
Miranda Holincheck 151 kills/405 digs/55 aces
Josie Pathoumthong 875 assists/243 digs/111 kills
Avery Lewis 442 digs
No.5 Parkview Baptist vs No.4 St. Michael Thursday 4:20pm
These two meeting again after PBS swept St Michael for a district championship just over three weeks ago (25-16, 25-7). Parkview Baptist senior outside hitter Laurel Cassidy signed her National Letter of Intent to play indoor volleyball on the eve of the state tournament. Junior middle Jana Thymes could be another Power 5 bound Eagle next season.Parkview Baptist wasn’t at 100% health-wise over the past few weeks and even though they won 3-0, they escaped three tight sets (25-22, 26-24, 25-23) against an upset-minded Lutcher in the Regionals last Friday.
St. Michael sat atop the Division III Power Rankings for a chunk of the season with a talented team that had gained valuable experience over the past two seasons. Junior outside hitter Bella Bravata is a rising star and has already committed to Southeastern Beach. Have rebounded with two solid playoff wins after dropping three of their last four games of the regular season.
Coach’s Comments:
Parkview Baptist
“I’ve never liked playing teams in our district during playoffs because I hate knowing one of us will end the other’s season. Many times our players are friends with our district teams, so we love to be able to cheer them on. On the other hand, we typically know them more than other teams we may play, so it’s a bit bittersweet.
Although the last 2 weeks have been really hard with sickness and injuries for our varsity players, they are on the mend and feeling rejuvenated for this next round of playoffs. They are ready to be back on the court with each other in their normal roles and positions.
Playoffs are a time when everyone starts with the same record 0-0, so anything can happen. Playoffs can become a lot more mental than physical, so I want our players to relax, play our game, have fun, and know we fully trust and believe in their abilities to achieve the success they want. We, as coaches, are just here to support and help them succeed. At the end of the season, there are 5 teams that will accomplish their final goal and are ecstatic about walking away with a state championship trophy. Every time these players step on the court during playoffs could be the last time they play together as this PBS team, so I want them to show their love and respect they have for each other by playing for each other and honoring God through their gifted talents of volleyball.” Allison Didier Leake
St. Michael
“We are very excited to be going back to the Cajundome for quarterfinals. I know that is a goal for so many teams across the state and it’s an accomplishment for all of us to be in the final 40. Now it’s about putting aside distractions and being your best every time you walk in to give yourself a chance to move on to the next round of play. We have lost in the quarter-finals each of the last 2 years but we were very young and (We started 2 freshmen 2 years ago, and had 6 first time starters last year). Now we are returning 6 starters and are playing with a lot of confidence.
We lost to Parkview in district play. I think we had hyped the game up too much in our mind and lost focus on handling the basics. We learned a lot about ourselves in that lose and are looking forward to playing them again because it should be a great game. It will be 2 very talented teams that know it each other very well, and both have plans on moving past the quarter-finals. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a 4 or 5 set match.” Rob Smith
Stat Leaders
Parkview Baptist
Laurel Cassidy 342 kills/287 digs/104 assists
Jana Thymes 374 kills/74 blocks/55 aces
Marin Price 198 kills
Addyson Polk 666 assists/163 digs
St Michael
Bella Bravata- 215 kills, 46 aces, 171 digs 5 blocks
Bella Johnston- 241 kills, 64 aces, 214 digs, 11 blocks
Skylar Towner-193 kills, 10 aces, 17 digs, 27 blocks
No.3 Vandebilt vs No.6 E.D. White Thursday 10:50am
In what is my personal pick for the best matchup on paperof the entire day, Bayou rivals Vandebilt and E.D. White will square off once again after a thrilling five-set affair won by the VCHS just over two weeks ago.
The Terriers feel like last season’s trip to the State Tournament (3-1 loss to Parkview Baptist) in Latashia Wise Jackson’s first year gave them valuable experience playing under “the big lights.” A pair of senior lefty outside hitters and LHSCA/LVCA All-Stars Neal Grace Berry (McNeese State commit) and Shay Sanders lead a powerful offense with junior Emmy Rau locking down the defense.
In addition to the win vs EDW, Vandebilt closed out the regular season finishing 2nd at ESA’s Spooktacular Tournament including knocking off then No.1 in the Power 25 STM.
The Cardinals are certainly state tournament tested having finished as the Division III State Runner Up three years in a row and five out of the last six. A roller coaster type season, this season for coach Sarah Johnson who like Vandebilt, thinks her team is on an upswing and more than eager for another crack at Vandebilt.
Coach’s Comments:
Vandebilt
“We’ve been playing well. We picked up some great wins against some great volleyball programs. I think any coach in America would say this is a great time to be playing like this going into the State Championship week.” Latashia Wise-Jackson
E.D. White:
“This is a very exciting week for us and we are so thankful to be here. We have been working so hard all season to get to this point. We are starting to play together as a team just at the right time. We still have a lot of work to do this week to prepare for Thursday.” Sarah Johnson
Stat Leaders:
Vandebilt Catholic
Neal Grace Berry 465 kills/298 digs
Shay Sanders 295 kills
Kinley Seebode 67 kills/20 blocks (70 sets)
Mackenzie Hebert 574 assists/191 digs/53 aces
Ava Smith 494 assists/158 digs/83 aces
Emmy Rau 311 assists
E.D. White
Olivia Besson 442 digs
Emory Freret 295 kills/165 digs/68 blocks
Kiley Johnson 289 kills/55 blocks
No.2 Haynes vs No.7 U-High Thursday at 12:40pm
Since the Voitier sisters Virginia (Class of 2025-UAB Beach commit) and Marilyn (Class of 2026) burst on to the scene and into the Haynes lineup three years ago, this day was coming.
Yes the Yellow Jackets have had State Tournament success making it to the semifinals in 2022 and the quarterfinals in 2023. But not only have the Voitiers blossomed into two of the best players in the state, the supporting cast has matured right along with them.
The program’s first wins over Dominican and Mt. Carmel were the signature wins of the regular season, but now the Yellow Jackets have both the confidence AND experience to control their own destiny.
U-High strung together a 27-5 regular season and outlasted No.10 Berwick in a 3-2 Regional victory to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
Coach’s Comments:
Haynes
“I am excited for these girls to get the opportunity to play in the Cajundome, again. It is going to be such a great experience, and I am confident that we are ready to make a run in this tournament. U-Lab is going to be a good challenge for us. In order for us to be successful, we will need to stay level headed, play consistent, and stay in system, and if we can do all of that, we will be a tough team to beat.” Ashley Miller
Stats
Haynes
Marilyn Voitier 506 kills/266 digs/32 blocks/50 aces
Virginia Voitier 438 kills/279 digs/67 aces/38 blocks
Bella Granados 609 assists/107 kills/285 digs/76 aces
Ella Feehan 448 digs/45 aces