Coming of Age: Doyle Volleyball Secures First Undefeated District Title

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

Doyle High School in Livingston Parish is no stranger to achieving at a high level in girls’ sports. 

The Lady Tigers have long been a force in basketball and softball, but the school has a new sport to applaud for their success.

Volleyball.

Four years after the start of the sport, including the last three on the varsity level, Doyle celebrated its first undefeated District 7, Division IV championship this week with a sweep of Amite.

The Lady Tigers (20-11, 10-0 in 7-IV play) concluded the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and await the start of the state playoffs on Nov. 5. This marks the program’s third consecutive appearance in postseason play and according to the latest power rating at No. 11, will host a first-round matchup.

“Every season has its points where you don’t know what the outcome will be,” Doyle volleyball coach Ashlie Byrnes, a former player at Mandeville High who began the program at Doyle in 2021 with a junior varsity team. “As a coach, I always knew they would have it in them. They had to believe in themselves to get there. 

“We had a lot of girls play club last year and that helped them tremendously,” Byrnes said. “The coaches at Mavericks (in Hammond) helped shape them into the players they are. They’re taking volleyball seriously. It’s up there with basketball now which is something to be proud of.”

The steps for Doyle have been gradual. The Tigers were 10-9 in their first year, including the program’s first win on Sept. 7 over Christ Episcopal in three sets, and were bounced in their first playoff appearance by state power Notre Dame of Crowley in three games.

“It was a shock for some of these girls,” Byrnes said of the school’s maiden voyage on the varsity level. “The kids here had never been introduced to volleyball which was a brand-new sport. It took some learning, but it was necessary to get us to where we are today.”

With an increased number of games, Doyle was 14-16 and shared the district championship with St. Thomas Aquinas and parish foe, Springfield. The Tigers swept a first-round match at home against West St. Mary before running into Notre Dame once again, falling in three sets.

“Each year we get closer and closer to being in the top 10,” Byrnes said. “Now we’re No. 11 which is a big goal for us. We’re trying to compete with the big private schools, so we want to make sure our girls are ready to compete and have a better chance in the playoffs to get to the (Lafayette) Cajundome (state tournament).” 

This year’s memorable season had a solid foundation to build.

Seniors Gracie Chaney, an all-district and all-parish defensive specialist in 2023, defensive specialist Kayla Greenwood, middle hitter/middle blocker Ashlyn Mayeux, and defensive specialist Kali Brogan had invested plenty into the program since they were a part of the first team in ’21. The program’s steady growth can be attributed to their improvement and this year’s breakthrough with an undisputed district title points toward their leadership.

Chaney had 23 aces and 43 digs and Greenwood had 11 aces in 18 matches. 

“Kali was a practice player,” Byrnes said. “She works hard and is coachable and now is an established varsity player. It’s been awesome to see them grow, not only as athletes but as people. Gracie knew what kind of athlete she wanted to be as soon as she started playing volleyball. She proved not only to me, but the district and parish coaches as well what kind of athlete she was. 

“Kayla’s become a tremendous leader and that’s the thing I’m most proud of her for,” Byrnes said. “Her freshman year, you’re timid, you’re scared, you’re trying something new. Now she’s a senior and leading people on the court that are maybe not as confident as she is. Ashlyn stays consistent when we need her to be and earns big points for us.”

Doyle’s junior class has also played a big role in the continued ascent of the program with help from a pair of sophomores. 

Middle hitter/middle blocker Faith Bridges, defensive specialist/setter Maddy Cade, outside hitter Rorie Calais, libero Bonnie Henderson, right-side hitter/outside hitter Harley Lovell, defensive specialist and Allie Lebourgeois, outside hitter Kenzie Smith, are junior that have provided the Tigers with a huge lift this season and given the program plenty to be excited about in the future.

Cade was credited with 71 digs, 45 assists, and 10 aces through 18 matches, while Lebourgeois had 39 aces and Lovell 35 kills.

Sophomores Abby Grantham, an outside hitter with 64 kills, and Chrislyn Smith, a setter with a team-high 93 service points and 28 aces, have also been key contributors. 

“Each year we get more and more interest in the program, and we continue to do great things,” Byrnes said. “From the first season until now it looks a lot different player-wise and skill-wise.”

Doyle’s season has been broken into two parts –  a difficult first half, and a promising latter half.

“We had two goals for the season,” Byrnes said. “Win district and to go to the third round (quarterfinals) of the playoffs. At Doyle, we want playoff-bound teams, and the athletes understood that and were ready to take that on.”

Doyle won eight of its first 12 matches before heading into a challenging test Sept. 28 in a tournament at Woodlawn. 

After an opening win over Brusly, the Tigers lost their next three matches in matchups against some of the state’s top teams in Newman and Slidell. That was followed by another loss to Live Oak of Division I, leaving the team with a 9-9 record entering the start of district play on Oct. 1.

In the first two years of Doyle’s program, contests with St. Thomas Aquinas resulted in four-set defeats. The Tigers gained the upper hand this time, turning a 1-1 split through the first two sets into a four-set victory with 25-16, 25-16 wins in the final two sets.

That ignited a wave of momentum over the latter half of the season which ended with an 11-2 record. That also featured a return match at St. Thomas Aquinas and a similar scenario but forced the Tigers to dig a little deeper.

The Lady Falcons commanded a 2-1 lead when the Tigers responded to force the match to five sets which they won 25-20 and 15-9.

“It’s cool that we went 10-0 this season because they’ve (STA) always been our biggest competitors and we’re starting to prove ourselves little by little and making history along the way,” Byrnes said. “We have a rivalry in all sports with St. Thomas and two years ago, we would have never been able to win a game that went to five sets because we weren’t strong mentally and weren’t strong athletically yet. 

“That was huge that we won that game,” Byrnes said. “They just played amazing. They finally got it, and it clicked. It was what we had been working toward since 2021. We’re extremely proud of that game. St. Thomas is a good competitor, and our girls played their hearts out.”

Doyle put the finishing touches on its undefeated district title on Tuesday with a sweep at home of Amite, 25-5, 25-8, 25-3. 

The celebration continued into the team’s locker room where a gleeful group of players waited to douse Byrnes with water.

“It was a big game,” Byrnes said. “We finally did it and reached one of our goals. They were just so excited.”

The interest in the program, which also fields both junior varsity and freshman teams and has 25 players on the varsity team, has spread outside of the court.

When Doyle plays at home, the stands that were usually full for basketball are now considered a home floor advantage with a rabid fan base that’s caught onto the Tigers’ winning ways in volleyball.

“I noticed the strength in this community,” Byrnes said. “I didn’t see a lot of people at volleyball games at Mandeville High. Here, the crowds are full and that’s hard to find in a sport that falls in the same season as football. The community has been wonderful and helped this new sport grow, contributing to what it is today. I’m just proud of the girls and how far they’ve come.”