The Energy Bus: Jodee Pulizzano Drives Chapelle Volleyball to New Heights

by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

“The Energy Bus’’ has arrived in Metairie and Chapelle volleyball may never be the same again.

Driving the bus is Chapelle’s new coach, veteran Jodee Pulizzano, a 55-year-old ball of fire and Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame member, who earned her spurs while building Ben Franklin into a state power that produced six state championships and three state runner-up finishes in Division II and over 900 victories over 32 seasons.

Pulizzano was hired as Chapelle’s coach at the beginning of the summer after spending last season out of coaching following her surprising departure from Franklin in the spring of 2023. Though initially devastated by her release, which legally she continues to contest through arbitration, Pulizzano now views the situation as a huge positive.

“I have put it behind me,’’ Pulizzano said. “I’m fine (now). It took me a while, it really did. But it really was the best thing for me. I can retire (from public school teaching), which I did. I can collect my retirement and I still can coach and do what I love. I’m teaching here, too.

“It is the perfect job for me. The kids are great. I just can’t believe it. Like this is how a Catholic school runs (so smoothly), I can’t believe it. I’m like in awe. It’s just like everything is regimented, all of that kind of stuff that I like. The principal and everyone are so supportive.

“The parents are so supportive. And so were the parents at Franklin (supportive). It’s just different here. (The parents are) involved, but they’re not involved. They’re there to support their kid. (Chapelle’s parents) really put the kids first. (The school) calendar is for all of the kids, not just volleyball.

“Everything that goes on here is like mind-blowing to me. All of that spirit and support for the kids through every part of (the school) academically, socially, and athletically. Every part of it, (Chapelle) checks every box.’’

The Chipmunks now have a coach who checks all of the boxes, whose No. 1 mission as an educator always has centered around providing maximum support for her players academically, athletically, and socially both on and off the court. Mission 1a: make the sport fun.

Competing against the likes of Catholic League heavyweights Dominican and Mount Carmel then will take care of itself.

“Like I told the kids, and I’m going to tell you on the record, I’m not worried about (winning),’’ Pulizzano said. “I’m worried about them playing. Let things shake out as they shake out. You’ve got to play in the moment. You can’t play like a month from now. Things will fall as they belong.

“I’m not preparing for one school or another school. I’m preparing (the players) actually for their lifetime. That’s what we do as coaches. I’m sure (the players) are (gearing for certain schools). I’m sure a lot of parents are. I’m sure people want to know. But we’ll see when it comes down to it.’’

The rebuilding Chipmunks, a state quarterfinalist the previous three seasons under former coach Ashley Blink, are off to a 5-1 start in the young season, having won five consecutive matches following a lackluster opening 3-0 loss at Vandebilt Catholic.

Ensuing victories against Pope John Paul II, reigning Division IV state champion Northlake Christian, Covington, Baton Rouge, and Episcopal of Acadiana have elevated the confidence of a squad that must replace four of six starters from a 22-19 team.

“It’s definitely a challenge,’’ Pulizzano said of building a program, particularly at the Division I level. “I love competition, I really do. I love the whole thing (in Division I) of every time, every match matters. My thing is I don’t like to put pressure on the girls. I tell them all of the time, ‘It’s fun to play good teams. It’s fun. So just have fun.’

“You move up to Division I, you’re with the cream of the crop. I’ll never forget at the other school I was at, we always wanted to compete against Division I schools. I remember the first year (Ben Franklin) won state (in 1996), (the players) wanted to give their trophy back, because they wanted to play a Division I school. I had to tell them, it doesn’t work like that.

“For me, as a coach, it’s great. It’s Division I. It’s the highest level (of competition). Just like football, you want to win in this division. It changes the whole schedule and everything else. Like every game is big. We’re playing all of the big dogs. So it’s a lot different.

“In Division II, there’s like four or five big dogs. Whereas in Division I anybody can win at any time. They’re all good. I was kind of worried in the beginning that we wouldn’t beat a Division I school.’’

And now?

“The pressure is to play,’’ Pulizzano said. “Pressure is like awesome. What difference does it make if you kill someone (that is not very good)? It doesn’t. It’s like, ‘Oh, well. Woo, woo, we won. Let’s move on.
“But (beating) a good team like Pope (John Paul II) and Northlake Christian, it gives you endorphins. It makes you feel good for a while. The next loss could be whatever. But (playing well) is just fun and they’re starting to feel that.’’

Junior setter Blythe Bonnaffons and sophomore setter/middle hitter Victoria McCann are the returning starters and are joined by junior libero Ava Landry as core members of the starting lineup. The remainder of the lineup is expected to mix and match four other newcomers – a senior, two juniors, and a sophomore – into Chapelle’s 6-2 scheme.

Outside hitter, Brianna Fonseca is the senior. Pin hitter Lillian Weaver and middle blocker Chloe Arnold are the juniors and outside hitter Audrey Dubuc is the sophomore. The Chipmunks also have senior pin hitter Stella Merrill and junior defensive specialist Avah Gilchrist competing in an anticipated nine-player rotation while senior outside hitter Rihanna Valle, freshman outside hitter/middle blocker Ellie Garvey, and freshman setter/defensive specialist Aubrey Frey complete the varsity roster.

“We started off in summer league in Mandeville in June a little rough,’’ Pulizzano said. “I didn’t realize that over half the team was on (Junior Varsity) the year before. I think I only had four Varsity kids, maybe five. So that was a shock to me. I didn’t really know that.

“We struggled at Mandeville. It was very eye-opening to me that the kids were definitely (playing) like at (Junior Varsity)-like speed. Varsity is a different speed. So we had to get up to snuff. We did a lot of stuff in the summer (to do that). We went to LSU team camp. We did a lot of summer leagues and played a lot.

“I would say we weren’t very successful if you look at the score. Like I told them, it’s a process. It’s something that’ll come. But you’ve just got to keep working hard and believing in the work that you’re doing is going to pay off. We were there (in those matches). We just didn’t make the plays at the time.

“Volleyball is a weird game,’’ Pulizzano said. “You’ve got to get momentum.’’

The Chipmunks have spent this week idle while south Louisiana and the New Orleans area dealt with the threat of Hurricane Francine. Tuesday and Wednesday games at St. Scholastica and Ursuline were postponed and rescheduled.

The ’Munks next opportunity to build on their momentum comes Tuesday when they play host to reigning Division III state champion Hannan scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

“We are very good at defense, which I love,’’ Pulizzano said. “It’s just a staple of who I am personally. I’m all about defense. I’m all about grit. That’s who I am. That’s what type of player I was. I wasn’t big. That’s how I coach teams, very much so.

“So we’re really good at defense and we can serve very tough. Like when we’re serving tough and we’re digging, we’re good. We can take you out of your system really quickly and definitely put you in a position you don’t want to be in.’’

In volleyball, “one server and one dig can change the outcome of a game and what you really believe. Just the dynamics of what volleyball is. If you can keep the ball off of the ground, you’re going to win. And if you can cut down on your errors. That’s the key. To win at anything is to do that.’’

So the last five matches have created a huge roll of momentum while also answering some of the questions the Chipmunks had about themselves.

“We did a really good job,’’ Pulizzano said. “I think we shocked ourselves against Pope John Paul because we knew Pope was good. I mean, I know Pope is good, but maybe (Chapelle’s players) didn’t know. (Pope John Paul II) is very seasoned team.

“With all sports, it doesn’t matter if it’s a down year or not, if your team has been there before and done it, it’s not the same as somebody’s who’s trying to learn how to win. Because they’ve done it before, they’ve been on a team and they’ve done it before. So (beating Pope John Paul II and then Northlake Christian) was very much a boost for us.

“You know it’s very hard for a team that is unseasoned to win against somebody who just won a state championship. They’ve been in that position before, that’s why they won state. So it was a very big win for us and our program this year.’’

Far from satisfied, the Chipmunks want more. Lots more.

“Coach Jodee definitely has been very fun and she brings out the best in us,’’ junior libero Ava Landry said. “We play with heart. We do have a lot more confidence. We actually enjoy the sport and enjoy practicing and playing.’’

The focus remains inward.

“Again, we focus on ourselves,’’ Landry said. “We’ve come so close together as a team. With Coach Jodee, it’s been a blast this season and we’re ready to play as hard as we can. No matter the results, we know we’ve played our hardest.’’

“So far (everything has) been really good,’’ sophomore outside hitter Audrey Dubuc said. “Every week we learn new things. We’ve been working a lot about trusting each other and our team. Coach Jodee really helps us feed off of each other and work together.

“We’re not always just working with the ball. We’re doing a lot with our mindset and our physical ability, not just with the ball on the court all of the time.

“We all really are impressed in how involved she is. We can all see that she wants us to succeed. She’s there for us if we ever need anything on or off of the court.’’

Pulizzano leaves no stone unturned.

After the season-opening loss at Vandebilt Catholic, she turned to Dr. Tony Melito, a New Orleans area sports psychologist, to counsel the team. Pulizzano has used Melito for years, learning long ago that mental acuity can be as important as physical skills.

Instead of a formal practice, the Chipmunks did some weight training followed by Melito’s talk.

“Let me tell you, that was the best practice we could have had,’’ Pulizzano said. “We weight-trained the first hour and the second hour we did mental training. It was phenomenal. I texted (Dr. Melito) the next day (to thank him). I told him you are the person who actually changed our mindset.

“What he did that day was unbelievable. He did mental imaging. But he also talked about forgiving yourself. As an athlete, you sometimes don’t do that. You never forgive yourself for making a mistake. You get mad at yourself. Why?

“Volleyball is a game of errors. You’re going to make a lot of them. That’s what I tell my girls. It’s just a matter of when you make them and how you recover from them.’’

Melito, Pulizzano said, “He brings (the players) down to reality, like gut checks. He can talk to them. I’m telling you that he has gotten through to them. I’ve used him before a lot because I do believe in that. I don’t think that I (previously) ever thought that mental training was great. Like I always thought that you had to have more (repetitions) in the gym. But the more I read and the more I do, you need those mental reps. You need them more than anything.’’

To that end, the Chipmunks are employing new reference reading. The latest is “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules To Fuel Your Life, Work and Team With Positive Energy’’ by author Jon Gordon which explores the power of positive thinking.

“(The book is) about how you use your energy for games,’’ Landry said. “Like there are energy vampires out there and having a positive mindset in the way you act toward your teammates and how you progress through a game is important.’’

“Everybody is on the bus right now,’’ Pulizzano said with a chuckle. “So we’re all about the bus. They have energy vampires on the bus. This is actually our theme. We’re all on the bus. We’re just trying to move up to the front of the bus.’’

So the Chipmunks are rip-roaring, ready to go.

“We’re ready to play anyone,’’ Dubuc, the junior outside hitter, said. “Our minds are ready. And we’re gaining confidence throughout the season. Through these past couple of months, we’ve already noticed how much we’ve improved and got better. One of our recent strengths is definitely our mindset. We changed in the past couple of months to be more confident and want the ball and play to win.’’

“It’s all about the mindset and the brain of the game and volleyball IQ,’’ Landry the libero said. “We do a bunch of different things at practice, not just volleyball. We work on everything we’re going to think about during a game. I think that’s really what’s helped us do so really well.’’

“So we know if we keep trying and keep going, there’s no ceiling (for this team),’’ Dubuc said. “We can keep going. Our confidence is growing and the more confidence we get, the better we can be. We’re not really worried about (District 8-I competition). We’re focusing on us, doing our thing, and making sure we know what we’re doing and ready to play anyone.’’

“I really do believe this. I believe that Division I is up for grabs,’’ Pulizzano said. “I also do believe that everybody wants to win, but if your goal is only to win, there is only one team that does that.

“I think our ceiling is very high. I think our ceiling always will be very high. What is that? I don’t know. Like I tell the kids, sometimes you can play your best and you will lose. I just want us to play our best and if we lose, we lose. Let’s see the matchup. I don’t know what the matchup is. Let’s see what happens.’’

On The Energy Bus . . .