Volleyball Journey: Setter Josie Pathoumthong at heart of Hannan’s title hopes
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Archbishop Hannan volleyball coach Rebekka Bonnaffee believed more than just another match was slipping away, but so was her team’s entire season and state championship hopes.
The top-seeded Lady Hawks were hosting eighth-seeded Haynes Academy in a Division III state quarterfinal where they trailed two games to one and showed no signs of a spark.
Bonnaffee turned to her bench and inserted freshman Josie Pathoumthong at defensive specialist in hopes of reversing the teams’ downward trend.
The pressure of the moment only paled in comparison to the excessive case of nerves Pathoumthong deals with on a game-by-game basis. She eventually settled in and so did the Lady Hawks, tying up the match at 2-all before taking the deciding set, 15-11, to light a fire that carried the team to a sweep of both its semifinal against Catholic-New Iberia and state championship of E.D. White.
“She saved the game for us, and we went on to win the state title,” Bonnaffee said. “We were struggling, and one of our girls was having a rough time, and we threw her in, and she saved it for us. From the start, she’s been a competitor.”
Pathoumthong, a 5-foot-5 left-hander, could have allowed the stressful situation to overwhelm her, a young rookie who had experienced positive moments during the 2023 season, but instead provided a snapshot of what was to come.
“We were barely hanging onto our hope,” Pathoumthong said. “I was very nervous because that’s not my first position. I had played it a couple of times in practice, but I wasn’t the most talented there. I ended up doing all right and got through it. We won the game. I was very happy. There was lots of adrenaline. It was lots of fun. I celebrated with the girls.”
Pathoumthong simply blossomed for that instance. She wasn’t just talented but poised enough when the spotlight glared the brightest.
Because of her extensive career in club volleyball, one that’s taken her across the country to play the sport at a very high level, Pathoumthong, a senior, has distinguished herself among the top setters in the state and will lead Archbishop Hannan, which figures to be in the mix for a Division III state title again this season.
The end of the 2025 season, a 3-1 loss to eventual state champion Parkview Baptist in the state semifinals, simply adds to the team’s fuel to finish atop the mountain in the Cajundome in Lafayette.
“It’s very motivating since this is our last chance as seniors,” said Pathoumthong, one of the team’s five seniors. “Losing in the semifinals was heartbreaking. I was very close to that senior class; some of them are my best friends. It was hard not to go as far as we could have with them. We had a great group last year.”
The start of the team’s first practice crystallized the finality Pathoumthong faces.
Hannan hosts Fontainebleau and Dutchtown in scrimmage action on Aug. 18 at 4:30 and 6:10 p.m., respectively. The Lady Hawks will also travel to Country Day for scrimmages against Dominican and Country Day on Aug. 25 and host a jamboree on Aug. 25 with Northlake Christian (4:30), Pope John Paul II (5:30).
Hannan opens the regular season at St. Michael the Archangel in Baton Rouge on Aug. 31 at approximately 6:30 p.m.
“I was sad after our first practice; I love our team,” she said. “We’re so close this year. It’s sad to think that it was my last first practice and everything that I do is for the last time.”
Pathoumthong’s athletic pursuits began on a soccer field at 3-years-old, the product of a rabid soccer household, before stepping onto a volleyball court five years later, adding those two sports with softball.
She thrived in all three until the cumulative rigors began to pile up, resulting in difficult choices once in high school.
“It’s always been so fun to play, the sport you could be the most aggressive in,” she said of soccer.
Her freshman year at Hannan was the last time Pathoumthong played all three sports, selecting volleyball as her primary sport after dropping softball following her sophomore year.
Ankle injuries the summer before her second season slowed down Pathoumthong somewhat on a soccer field, having to function with ankle braces in a sport she grew up with.
“It wasn’t the same; I was more there for my friends,” she said. “They made it a great year for me. I had fun, but it wasn’t the same, and I wanted to stick with volleyball.”
Pathoumthong earned a spot on the Division III All-State freshman soccer team. She was also an honorable mention all-district choice, helping the Lady Hawks to the Division III state semifinals where they were stopped in penalty kicks at Parkview Baptist.
Pathoumthong was also part of a successful softball program that reached the state semifinals in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. She was a second team choice on both the all-district and all-Northshore teams.
“I had a great sophomore season,” Pathoumthong said. “The group was amazing. We were all very close, but it was overlapping with club (volleyball) season, and that was taking a toll on me. I had to miss club practice. It was hard with my knees.”
Bonnaffee said the decision to concentrate on volleyball was Pathoumthong’s alone.
“She kind of figured that out for herself,” she said. “Her knee was bothering her. She likes travel volleyball, and I know she loves soccer and softball. When it all came down to it, she just didn’t want to miss the travel volleyball season.”
The health of Pathoumthong’s knees required platelet-rich plasma injections in the spring before the start of her junior season.
The treatment uses a patient’s own blood to stimulate healing and help fast-track such conditions as tendonitis and discomfort of the joints.
“There was no activity for a couple of weeks,” she said. “I didn’t feel as good. I had a great sophomore season and didn’t feel as strong.”
There’s no underscoring the impact of a good setter on a volleyball team, and Hannan’s been no different.
Bonnaffee handed over the key for four years of the team’s offense and leadership role to Sara Kirsch, whom Pathoumthong observed in practice in games.
Defense was primarily Pathoumthong’s emphasis until Kirsch’s graduation from the state championship team.
“She was my next in line and she’s been doing great,” Bonnaffee said of Pathoumthong.
Pathoumthong helped Hannan to a second straight appearance in the Cajundome, winning 37 matches and opposed Haynes in the final, which atoned for the ’23 title loss with a 3-2 victory for the ’24 championship.
“She can do just about anything; she’s so athletic,” Bonnaffee said. “She jumps well, and she sees the other side of the court well. She’s just a smart volleyball player. Her IQ’s super high. She knows what she’s doing. She’s always in communication with us on the sideline. She’s super smart. She can be unstoppable.”
Haynes rallied to tie the match at 2-2, winning the fourth set, and secured the final set 15-12 to raise the state trophy.
“We had a great team that got to the championship and lost,” Pathoumthong said. “It felt more mental. When you get to that point, it’s all mental. I felt we lost a little focus in that game. We were up, and they came back. That was a hard loss because we were right there.”
Butterflies accompanied Pathoumthong on an annual basis during her first season as a starter. She tried to combat the anxiety through her preparation and attention to detail.
Pathoumthong was named the team’s MVP, a first-team all-district selection and an all-metro honorable mention choice. She surpassed 1,000 assists (1,008), 283 digs, 116 kills and 37 service aces.
“That nervousness really helped me because it meant that I cared,” Pathoumthong said. “I was very intentional with everything I did, and I brought that into my junior year, and now I’m a senior.”
She’s also achieved tremendous growth after her high school seasons.
Club play, where she’s also a setter and runs a 5-1 offense, tends to bring out the best in a player because of the level of play on the opposite side of the net.
A season can last from the start of practice in December to the summer where a grueling schedule can bring up to 10 games in a tournament over the course of two or three days, bridging the gap with tryouts for the high school team in May.
Advanced skilled matches in such places as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Utah have placed Pathoumthong in high-leveraged situations that have only enhanced her game through her decision-making and production.
Her WD Nation team reached the final eight at a national tournament in Orlando this summer.
“It definitely helps,” she said of the level of club ball. “You see the game faster. You’re more on your toes. You have way more experience in those stressful moments. It makes me calm. It gives you confidence going to high school.
“Going from club to high school is different,” she said of her final season. “High school’s more mental and sticking to your fundamentals. Going in with the same confidence you have for club but being very disciplined about your actions and every moment you make.”
Pathoumthong encountered a similar pall to that of the team’s state runner-up finish in ’24 .
The expectations were sky-high once again, and Hannan was 28-8 during the regular season. The Lady Hawks had a stretch in October with 13 consecutive victories and took a No. 2 seed into the playoffs, where they swept their first three playoff opponents.
In the semifinal, though, with the teams splitting their first two sets, it was Parkview which moved on to the final after winning back-to-back sets, 26-24 and 28-26, to advance to the final.
“We were supposed to come out bigger, better and stronger and didn’t make it as far,” Pathoumthong said. “Parkview had a great team. They were really good.”
Pathoumthong reached a personal milestone with her 1,000th career assist during the season and wound up with 1,237 overall. She improved her total digs to 383 to go with 116 kills and 31 aces.
Pathoumthong earned Hanna’s Offensive Player of the Year and all-district first team honors for the second straight season. She was named to the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-State first team, along with the New Orleans Advocate’s All-Metro and St. Tammany Farmer’s All-Parish first teams.
She begins her final season with 2,248 assists, 585 digs, 228 kills and 79 aces.
“She practices hard; she’s one of those kids that doesn’t show a lot of emotion on the court whether things are going well or things are rough,” Bonnaffee said. “She’s consistent. She battles the whole time, doesn’t give up, and is always trying to do what’s going to put us in the best possible position. She’s been doing that and playing that hard since that first game. She was like that when she was younger, too.
“She does volleyball after the high school seasons; she plays travel ball and all of that experience helps against the different players she plays with at different levels,” Bonnaffee said. “All of these girls work hard. Her volleyball IQ and athleticism carry her and keep her one step ahead of everybody.”
Hannan’s built sweat equity this season, lifting weights and practicing three days a week each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. It was the time when there isn’t anyone present to witness the dedication and commitment it takes to become a state champion.
Weights take center stage at the beginning of the morning at 7:30, followed by three-hour workouts.
“The days we have both, it’s 4 ½ hours straight activity, and it gets really hard,” said Pathoumthong, whose played on teams that have won 83% (96-20) of their games.
“I’m really confident about this year; we have a really good group,” Pathoumthong said. “I know a lot of teams in our division have lost a lot of people; I think we’re in a good place. The thing that’s also motivating for me this year is I feel 100% healthier. I can do what I’m capable of this year. I’m not thinking about the future right now. This is my last year. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
One area Bonnaffee has sought the typically soft-spoke Pathoumthong to improve upon has been to become more of a vocal presence for her team.
“I have to think about talking more because I’m more of a show-it-through-actions kind of person,” said Pathoumthong, one of four returning starters. “I like to be vocal so that other people will be vocal with me. When we’re all talking and calling everything, we automatically play better.
“I’ve been more vocal this year,” Pathoumthong said. “I feel I’ve been more vocal in directing and being more demanding from my teammates than in the previous years. I know I work very hard, and I want them to work just as hard for all of us to get that success that we work for every day at practice. Every one of us puts in so much time. Practices are long. It’s hard to get to state and play awesome.”
Getting a college education is a given where Pathoumthong has visions of majoring in nursing. An honor student who carries a 4.3 GPA, is less certain that she will continue playing volleyball.
College coaches certainly know about her ability and competitiveness she’s brought to both her high school and club teams, but there’s a maturity Pathoumthong will bring to her decision on whether or not to play volleyball at the collegiate level.
“I want to stay in the SEC, but I haven’t decided about it yet,” she said. “I don’t want to choose a school based on volleyball. It’s very sad to think about. Maybe I’ll feel more strongly about it when it comes. I do want to play volleyball in college, but I’m not going to force it.”
Her kind-hearted, charitable nature, a catalyst to create a path in nursing, has been at the heart of her choice to serve as a unified partner with the local Special Olympics.
Pathoumthong has trained and competed alongside competitors in volleyball ages 20 and up, a feeling of giving back to a game that’s given so much to her.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s so sweet. They’re so happy to be there, and it’s such a great feeling just being there with them.”