Could This Be The Year? Mount Carmel Volleyball Believes So

Could this be the year?

Mount Carmel volleyball believes so.

Five years have passed since the New Orleans all-girls Catholic school in Lakeview last claimed a volleyball state crown. For a proud and elite program that has 14 state championship banners hanging inside its gym to prove it, well, that’s too long.

The fact that Mount Carmel has advanced to each of the past two Division I state finals where the Cubs were thwarted by their arch-rivals from Dominican only further compounds the gut-wrenching. Making matters worse, the Cubs have had to watch Dominican win the last four Division I state championships.

Enough apparently is enough.

With four of six starters returning, including, two All-State performers in middle blocker Emily Caracci and setter Emma Richey, the Cubs are filled with nothing but happy thoughts about the upcoming season that opens with a Sept. 3 opener at reigning Division V state champion Northlake Christian in Covington.

“I would hope and I feel like that this is our year,’’ said Mount Carmel coach Taylor Conaway Ricaud, who directed the Cubs to a 35-10 record, a District 8-I championship over eventual state champion Dominican and a No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs in her first season as successor to April Hagadone.

“Obviously, anything can happen and it can be anybody’s year, but I truly feel deep in my heart and bones that this group is a very special group. Playing-wise and off of the court, too, they’re all each other’s best friends. They just have such great chemistry, so I truly do feel in my heart that it’s their year.’’

Chemistry alone is not driving Mount Carmel’s good tidings.

“Our defense honestly is incredible,’’ Ricaud said when asked for tangible reasons to support MCA optimism. “They touch things and pick things up that literally make everybody in the gym just say, ‘Wow!’ Then, too, our hitters this year are very hungry and determined to put the ball away. It’s only been a few weeks in and we haven’t started our season, and it’s honestly been fun to watch. They just play incredible volleyball.’’

The Cubs return a rotation of nine experienced players, headed by Caracci, Richey, and five other seniors, plus a transfer from Ursuline, to lead the charge to a third consecutive appearance in the LHSAA State Volleyball Tournament scheduled for Nov. 14-16 at the UL Cajundome in Lafayette.

“We had a great year,’’ Ricaud said of 2023. “We had a lot of girls who were new to the court. We were kind of rebuilding. So coming in this year, they’re a little more comfortable in the positions that they’re in and really ready to play and have a good season.

“We knew that we could reach the finals and there was definitely a chance that we could have taken it all. We needed it to be a whole team effort, so that’s what we were really trying to push (now) and get every single person to show up and play their part. But we definitely knew that we were a final two team.’’

Brimming with even more confidence this season, making anything less than an advance to the state finals is unacceptable for the Cubs whose regular-season highlight last season was a 3-2 match victory (14-25, 25-14, 25-23, 19-25, 15-10) against Dominican that decided the District 8-I championship at Mount Carmel on Oct. 11. The only downside from a MCA perspective was it proved to be the Cubs’ lone win in four matches against Dominican.

“I think we’re capable of going all of the way, for sure,’’ Caracci said. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that we’ll get there. It’s just (about) executing all of the things that we practice and work on and applying the things, that we’re told mentally, physically into the game.”

“We have the power and athleticism to do it 100 percent. I think we’ve kind of had that. This year we just have stronger mentalities that we didn’t necessarily have last year like the confidence to go out and win and be proud of the fact that we play for Mount Carmel volleyball.’’

Caracci, the 5-foot-9 middle blocker, and Richey, the 5-foot-4 quarterback at setter, are three-year starters and veterans of consecutive trips to the state finals. Caracci and Richey are returning All-State and All-District selections and are expected to play key roles in easing the loss of departed All-State seniors in defensive specialist Nola Sevin and middle blocker Brooke Darrah. Sevin was the District 8-I Most Valuable Player.

Giselle Estrada, a 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter, and Julia Savors, a 5-foot-8 senior right-side hitter, also are returning starters with Estrada also being an All-District selection and Savors earning honorable mention All-District honors.

To that mix, defensive specialists Olivia Meyer and Mia Lopez project as starters along the back row. Meyer is a 5-foot-6 senior while Lopez is a 5-foot-4 junior.

Senior right-side hitter Hailie Leaumont, senior defensive specialist Colby Pechon, and freshman defensive specialist Ali Offner supply depth as does sophomore transfer Lia Franovich from Ursuline, a 5-foot-10 sophomore.

“Emily Caracci is truly just a natural born leader, very much a team player and hard worker, Ricaud said. “I would say they she is the glue. Emma Richey, she obviously is the quarterback of the court. I think she does a great job of spreading the ball around. She’s a great offensive setter. She will take it upon herself to get a point if she has to. She’s an offensive setter.

“Giselle just committed (to Mercer College). She literally works so hard. She has some great shots and a great swing. Julia Savois, she’s one of the biggest cheerleaders for herself, for her teammates, more so for her teammates. She’s always cheering whether it’s good, bad, or ugly.

“Oliva Meyer, Liv is great on serve/receive. That is her specialty. It’s what she does best in my opinion, serve-receiver. She really gets out there and does her job. You can’t do anything without that first ball in order for our setter to run our hitters. Liv does such a great job that we can run three options for hitters. Mia Lopez, she is another one who brings so much energy to our court. She’s always cheering. Her defense is impeccable, too. She is one that you watch and it’s wow!’’

The Cubs are not shy about discussing their aspirations and goals publicly.

“We talk about (winning state) a lot and we try to stay focused and know that this very much could be our year,’’ Ricaud said. “But we also know that anybody can beat us, so we need to stay very much on the goal of showing up for every game and playing our best volleyball.

“We’re definitely big on speaking life into things. You’ve got to (go) out into the world and say what you want, not only in your season but in your life. So we try to speak it without getting overly confident, (like) we’re going to win. Because that’s not what we’re saying at all. We do say that we feel deep in our bones and hearts that (this year) is our season. I always remind them any time we talk about it, that anybody can beat you if you don’t show up and play.’’

The competition is getting stiffer.

In addition to Dominican, Chapelle is stepping up its District 8-I game with the addition of former Ben Franklin coach Jodee Pulizzano, who has been hired to direct a program that reached the state quarterfinals last season. But the Cubs are unfazed.

“We raised the bar for our girls,’’ Ricaud said. “They know the expectations. They know the competition.”

The Cubs, Ricaud said, “We need to block and we need to put the ball away. I have faith in all of my girls, but I know our defense can get the ball up. So we need to put the ball away and finish the point out.’’

Expectations are building within.

“I feel like we can (win) a state championship this year,’’ Richey the setter said. “Everyone on this team has put in the work on the side, on and off the court. We’re ready. We’ve been wanting this. Everyone on the team is just really excited and we want (a state title) really bad.

“Yes, the past two years we’ve come really close. But this team is very special and we have a bunch of talent. We’re really pumped up for the season.’’

“I think this year we have the chance to go all of the way,’’ Lopez, the junior defensive specialist, said. “We have a very positive (attitude on the) team. We all are working really hard this year and I think that can lead us all the way. We’re always thinking about how we can get better and not about the mistakes we make, but how we can fix our mistakes. And I think that will lead us to maybe a state championship.

“Every day at practice we come in with the mindset, let’s get better than the previous day, and let’s push that to 200 percent. Think about how we felt last year (after losing in the state finals). So we’re motivated. Let’s win this year. Let’s try our best. And let’s leave it all on the court and be happy about how we left this season.’’

“All of us honestly are super close,’’ Caracci said. “Our 8th-grade class have all been super tight for five years now. The majority of us play, so the environment in the locker room is really friendly, I feel. We’re all so close. Now there’s a lot of friendly fire when we’re in there, argumentative, but it’s all out of love.

“There’s never any animosity toward anyone no matter what. Whether somebody takes your spot or somebody makes you mad, you always want the best for the person next to you. It’s incredible.’’

And one other thing, do not mistake the Cubs’ confidence for bluster.

“I think it’s important to know that this year we are going in confident, but not cocky at all,’’ Caracci said. “We are playing every single game the best that we can regardless of who the opponent is. We’re going to win some games and you’re going to lose some games, so your mentality is the most important thing. You must grow from your losses because losing is a part of life.’’

“We’re ready,’’ Ricaud the coach said. “We’re very excited for this season. We don’t expect the perfect season. But we are expecting to work hard and at least end up in that final two, and hopefully on top.’’

“I think people should look at this team and just enjoy watching volleyball,’’ Lopez said. “I always love watching teams that have fun. And we’re going to be that fun team that everybody wants to see. We’re going to be like so cool, everybody wants to come watch us, and you’re going to enjoy watching us this year.’’