Ben Franklin’s Falcons: Soaring on Faith, Trust, and Belief
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Faith, trust, and belief.
These so intimately-intertwined principles serve as cornerstones of Ben Franklin High School volleyball.
They also happen to fit these current Falcons to a tee, begging the question: Might this be the year for a Ben Franklin breakthrough?
It has been 21 years since the Falcons volleyball program last donned a state crown, a two-decade drought that followed a glorious 11-year run in which Ben Franklin won six Louisiana High School Athletic Association state championships. Four of those titles came in succession from 1993-1996 with the last two following in 2002 and 2003.
Deep in talent and experience, these Falcons appear primed to fly high, to soar beyond last year’s Division II state semifinals run.
“We’ve been having a lot of fun,’’ Ben Franklin setter Kat Kondkar, one of eight seniors available to Coach Kim Young Buford. “Honestly, this season, all of the seniors have so much trust in one another. So it’s just so much fun. We know what we’re here to do. We’re here to win state.’’
The Falcons, 19-4 overall, own the No. 3 power rating in Division II behind top-ranked St. Thomas More and No. 2 Sam Houston as determined by geauxpreps.com and the LHSAA after defeating McDonogh 35, 3-0, by scores of 25-6, 25-14, 25-5, on Monday at the McDonogh 35 gym in New Orleans.
Ben Franklin’s victory, its second straight and seventh in eight matches overall, kept the Falcons undefeated at 4-0 in District 9-II and tied for first place with Kenner Discovery (21-3, 4-0) and Warren Easton (11-7, 4-0) as the regular season enters its final two weeks. The Falcons play both teams in succession at to start of next week with a Monday visit to Warren Easton followed by a Tuesday home match versus Kenner Discovery.
Before those matches, the reigning league champion Falcons play a huge non-district match today at John Curtis, the No. 1 ranked team in Division IV, followed by a district home match versus McMain on Wednesday and a weekend run in the Country Day Ed Daniels Invitational Tournament scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
“I think over the season that we have grown as a team both skill-wise and in getting to know one another as players,’’ senior co-captain Annika Roberson said. “Our offensive system has really sharpened and cleaned up since the beginning of the season. I think it comes with playing some tough teams, playing a lot of tough teams. All of our losses, I think, are nothing to be ashamed of. Every loss that we have has been to good teams, solid teams and we put our best effort out. We just came up a little short.’’
The Falcons’ four defeats have been against three highly-ranked teams by extremely close margins.
The first came in the season opener against reigning Division I state champion Dominican, 3-1, in four excruciatingly close games (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23) at the Franklin gym. Three matches later, the Falcons fell in tournament play to Vandebilt Catholic, currently the No. 4 ranked team in Division III, again by extremely close margins (19-25, 25-23, 15-12). Then came two separate defeats in tournament play to Slidell, the state’s No. 1 team in Division I, by scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 26-24, 25-21.
There have been equally notable victories against ranked opponents like Teurlings Catholic, Sam Houston, Academy of Our Lady, Sacred Heart of New Orleans, Berwick, and E.D. White.
The 2-1 victory against Teurlings in the Assumption Tournament (13-25, 25-16, 15-13) was particularly gratifying given that the Rebels sent the Falcons home last season in a Division II state semifinals match decided by a cumulative total of five points (24-26, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22, 16-14).
Downing Sam Houston, 2-0, in the Covenant Christian Tournament two weekends ago was another huge conquest given the current Division II power rankings.
“This year we set out to have a new grit,’’ Young Buford, in her second season at Ben Franklin, said. “Just the grit that these kids have shown, the determination and the discipline, that’s all part of our motto this year. We just kind of drive off of that. They’re really just a hard-working bunch of girls.’’
The grit, determination, hard work, and skill of Ben Franklin’s players have paid handsome dividends during Young Buford’s first two seasons as the Falcons have recorded 54 victories against 12 losses. The then No. 2 seeded Falcons, who finished 35-8, did not lose a game in their first three state playoff matches last season in downing No. 31 Ouachita Parish, No. 18 Warren Easton, and No. 10 Kenner Discovery leading up to the semifinals.
The Falcons return four full-time starters in Roberson, fellow co-captain Cori Staes, libero Lilly Mayes and Kondkar along with defensive specialist Kaya Dorotan, another senior, who logged such extensive playing time to be considered a returning starter.
“I think it’s the trust we have in each other’’ that makes this team special, Roberson said. “Back row trusts the front row to be there on the block and we know that we need to play our own positions. And we trust each other to play our roles and do our part. It just kind of fits like pieces to a puzzle. When everyone does their job, it all flows nicely.
“I think because we have been playing with each other for so long and we’re all such really good friends off of the court, it just makes the chemistry on the court even better.’’
“I think this team is better’’ than last year’s, Staes said. “We have a lot more seniors that play on the court in our starting six. Just having that mindset and level of skill, it brings a sense of calm to the court because we’ve been there in most situations before. I think that makes this team real better than last year’s.’’
Roberson, a 6-foot-2 right-side hitter, Staes, a 5-foot-10 middle blocker, Kondkar, a 5-foot-5 setter, and Mayes, a 5-foot-8 libero, represent the core of the lineup, with Roberson and Staes already being selected for the LHSAA/Louisiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star game and Kondkar being an All-Star alternate selection. Roberson also is an Academic All-State selection.
Add to that fantastic four Dorotan, a 5-foot-8 defensive specialist, and three other rotating starters in Laila Blondell, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, Maddie Elzey, a 5-foot-9 middle blocker, and Kaycie Holmes, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, who give the Falcons an eight-player rotation that features seven seniors. Holmes, a sophomore, is the lone non-senior.
Jamari Butler, a 5-foot-9 senior utility player, Avery Johnson, a 5-foot-8 junior setter and right side hitter, Maleah Neal, a 5-foot-7 sophomore defensive specialist, Anais Wilson, a 5-foot-7 sophomore outside hitter, and Madeleine Roche-Boucree, a 6-foot junior middle blocker, complete the roster.
Roche-Boucree was expected to be a key contributor this season before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament that has forced her to miss the entire season.
Staes led the team through its first 19 matches with 176 kills to go with 131 digs and 3 blocks. Roberson had 168 kills, 31 digs, and 6 blocks. Kondkar had 325 assists, 72 digs, and 141 serve points while Mayes had 181 digs and 90 serve points. Elzey ranked third with 78 kills to go with 22 digs, Holmes was fourth with 78 kills along with 22 digs and Johnson had 92 serve points and 75 digs.
“I just think that in every area we just have depth. And it’s not cocky depth,’’ Young Buford said. “It’s depth (that’s been developed) because they work so hard to achieve and to play at the high tempo and high level that they do. It took a lot of hard work.
“I think that’s what they bring, that connection with each other because they’ve done it now for four years and they understand each other. And when they’re on the court, they have one common goal. Which is just to bring their creativity to every play and to have that discipline and integrity and trust that they have in each other. That’s just major.’’
The Falcons additionally represent an ideal illustration of resiliency given that only 17 months have transpired since their beloved long-time coach, Jodee Pulizzano, a certain future LHSAA Hall of Fame selection, was unceremoniously released by the Ben Franklin administration in May of 2023. Pulizzano, now coach at Chapelle, directed Ben Franklin to all six of its state championships and more than 900 victories in 32 seasons.
The reasons then offered in a statement released by the school were described as “multiple issues regarding (Pulizzano’s) performance’’ that were followed by “a deliberate and thorough investigation.’’
Needless to say, Falcons players, both current and former, along with their families and fans were devastated. Pulizzano filed an arbitration dispute between the school and teachers union to retain her job that remains active although unsuccessful.
Five weeks later, Ben Franklin officials announced the hiring of Young Buford, a 21-year coaching veteran in college and high school and three-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year at Grambling State.
Young Buford, now 46, came to Ben Franklin from Riverdale where she served eight seasons in the Jefferson Parish Public School System and ended her tenure by directing the Rebels to seven consecutive state playoffs appearances along with a 2010 trip to the state tournament.
Young Buford previously served four years as head coach at UNO following six seasons as head coach at her alma mater, Grambling, where she compiled a 134-82 record and a 49-2 mark in SWAC competition with six SWAC West Division championships. As a player, Young Buford was a three-time SWAC Player of the Year from 1996-98 while leading the Tigers to league titles in 1996 and 1997.
“I think undergoing that transition, it was a lot,’’ Roberson, who then was entering her junior year, said. “But we stuck together as a team. We all have the same goal and that’s to win state. We used that goal to really motivate us and keep us together throughout what was happening.
“A lot of us were really close with Coach Jodee. She did a lot outside of volleyball to build the team and build trust with her as a coach. I think that transition was tough for a lot of us because this coach that we had become so connected with was removed under certain circumstances.
“But I think we all agreed that our new coaches have nothing to do with the situation. However we felt about Coach Jodee, it was a new season and we still had to work just as hard and come together as a team and win state.’’
Kondkar said, “I really think something that’s different about us is that our team has faced a lot of adversity with having a new coaching staff come in in the past year. That was a really big change that we had to overcome. Like, we didn’t have a choice. So we had to either separate and go our own ways or we had to band together and figure it out.’’
The Falcons chose the latter, obviously, and proceeded to record a monstrous 35 wins amid a push to the state semifinals.
“We got a lot closer after (the coaching change),’’ Kondkar said. “We banded together. I think that’s really the difference between us and our competition. We’ve gone through the hard stuff. We know what we have to do.’’
But, Kondkar said, “It was definitely very difficult. A lot of us were very close to (Coach) Jodee and still are. But I do think the leadership that we have, even with the players who were not named captain last year, we had seniors who led us to state semis. We had juniors. And now our captain, Annika, has done an amazing job in leading us. We rely on her a lot for her leadership and she does a great job.’’
“I think we really have grown as a team and our seniors have really stepped us as leaders,’’ Roberson said of the 2024 Falcons. “Not just Cori (Staes) and I as captains, but everyone, to lead the team, to lead the younger girls who maybe also are feeling uncertain and affected by (the coaching transition), too. We all came together. I think Coach Buford did a really good job of pushing us forward and not letting us dwell on the past.’’
Young Buford is very respectful of Pulizzano and her legacy and said “The richness and tradition of the program is what attracted me’’ to accept the job offer from Athletic Director Chrissa Hailey.
“For someone (like Pulizzano) who was there for so long, to see just the love that was pumped into the program, that takes passion and a lot of patience and a lot of hard work,’’ Young Buford said.
Credit goes to the Falcons players, Young Buford said, particularly the current core group of seniors, Roberson, Staes, Kondkar, and Mayes, in addition to Dorotan, Blondell, Elzey, and Butler.
“They are the program,’’ Young Buford said. “They are the ones who are putting in the time and taking care of the program. They want to leave the program better than they found it at the end of all of this. They want to keep up all of the traditions and what they’ve done in the past and keep it up.’’
So it is onward and upward for the Falcons.
“I think the key to our success is to stay disciplined through every match, (through) every single point, making sure that we’re transitioning all of the way before we hit and that we’re going to the right spots on defense and (making sure) that every single person is all-in-all of the time,’’ Roberson said.
Staes, like Roberson, a co-captain, said, “I think a key is making sure that we stay level-headed, making sure that we stay disciplined, and making sure that we stick to the basics. Because in some situations when it gets a little tougher, we tend to get a little frantic and we forget some of the basic parts of volleyball which is transition to the right spot, make sure nobody spots (out) on defense. So we have to make sure that we stay calm in those situations and stick to our other basics.’’
“I think our team chemistry is really good,’’ Mayes, the senior libero, said. “I feel like we really know each other so well. We’re all like friends outside of volleyball. I think we’re very confident in each other, so we can kind of just like move on from mistakes really easily. And we all trust each other.’’
“The state championship is the goal,’’ Mayes added. “Honestly, we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. Cori and Annika, our hitters, have just been insane. They’re amazing. Our setter (Kondkar) knows how to get them the ball to them. I think we’re at a good place right now and I’m excited to play other hard teams because it just makes us better.’’
Elzey echoed some of Mayes’ sentiments about potential difference makers for these Falcons.
“I definitely think it’s our team chemistry,’’ Elzey said. “We are all very tight like a very close family. That combined with all of our skills makes us very, very powerful on the court. We are definitely trying to go for state. Our seniors really want this bad. So that’s what the goal is and it’s definitely achievable.’’
“We’ve seen it all,’’ Kondkar said. “The past four years we’ve got to state, we’ve watched the finals even if we didn’t make it. We’ve seen our competition and we know no matter the skill level or whatever, that mentally we are above the other teams in our division.’’
“We have depth at every position from right side to middle, to having a phenomenal libero and a very courageous setter,’’ Buford said. “I think we have the depth to (win it all), absolutely.’’
“I’m absolutely optimistic. I think on any given night or any given opportunity any team can win. So staying disciplined and having that vision to want it is important. And (this team) all wants it.’’