North Vermilion volleyball falls in four sets

LEROY – The North Vermilion Lady Patriots tried to crawl out of an 0–2-hole Thursday against the Eunice Lady Bobcats but fell shy of forcing a fifth set, falling 22-25, 21-25, 25-17, 24-26.
The Lady Pats (2-2) were right there in every set, losing the first two by seven points.  In the deciding set, NV led 23-20 and had a game point at 24-23 before ultimately dropping the set.  
North Vermilion head coach Ashly Boudreaux enjoyed the competitive match even though her team lost.  She was proud of her girls for continuing to battle throughout the match.  She credited Eunice and its two big hitters, Brooklyn Darbonne and Destiny Labbe. 
 “It was hard out there,” Boudreaux said.  “That’s two big hitters that they got, and they were hitting their spots. 
“Our girls never quit.  We’d get down, and we’d come back.  They stayed together and played hard.  That’s what it’s about.”
The two teams played to a 12-12 draw in the opening set before Eunice built a four-point lead at 16-12.  NV battled back, getting as close as 20-19 before losing the set by three.
The two teams were separated by four points or less the entire second set.  Eunice led 8-4 before the Lady Pats tied it at eight.  Eunice led 16-13 before NV came back and tied it at 16.  Eunice stretched the lead to four again at 22-18 and, this time, hung on to win the set by that margin.
In the third set, the Lady Patriots took the lead early on, 11-8. They expanded the lead to 22-14 before winning the set by seven points.
In the fourth and final set, NV jumped out to an 11-7 advantage, but Eunice came back to tie the score 16-16.  The Lady Pats then built a 23-20 lead, but Eunice tied it again at 23.  NV then had game point at 24-23, but Eunice overcame that and won the match.
Ava Denais led the Lady Pats with 16 kills, 19 assists, and 19 digs – a volleyball triple-double. 
“We went to Ava a lot,” Boudreaux said.  “They were sliding two smaller blockers to her side.  It was successful, so we stuck with it.” 
Stevie Brasseaux had 13 kills and two solo blocks, while Zoe Harrington had eight kills and two solo blocks.  Charly Veazey had 18 assists, while Amelia Dupre, Olivia Rodrigue, and Emmerson Kelly all had 14 digs.
Despite the tough loss, Boudreaux said her team is right on track.  She’s looking for them to be more consistent as the season progresses.
“We’re right where we want to be,” Boudreaux said.  “We’re still working hard, still growing, and still climbing.
“We need to be more consistent.  Our girls hit well upfront, but it’s just not consistent enough.  We do a good job of blocking and laying the ball down at times, but we need to do it consistently.  We’re working on it.”  
The Lady Pats hosted Ascension Episcopal on Tuesday.  They’ll be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Iowa.