By Kyle Roberts
Colonel Hannibal Smith of the A-Team always famously said, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
In the case of Ruston High School volleyball, the plan was for interim head coach Mandy Cauley to come in for one year and give it right back to head coach Lucie Hunt after receiving treatment for cancer, from which she is now fully recovered.
To Hannibal’s dismay, this plan would not come together– not after Hunt announced her engagement and her upcoming move to St. Amant, La., following her August wedding.
“It’s been a long time coming, but life happens,” Hunt said. “And I’m excited to move on to the next chapter of life. Unfortunately, it involves me moving to South Louisiana, and I wish I could take Ruston with me. I tell everybody that if I could pick this school up and and bring it with me, I would with all the people in it.”
It’s not often you get the chance to audition for your new role for an entire year, but that’s exactly how things went for Cauley, and on Monday, Feb. 5, Ruston High principal Dan Gressett named her the program’s third head coach, where, of course, she was also the program’s first.
Cauley, who led Ruston to its first appearance in the state tournament after her 2023 campaign, had already prepared herself to go back to being mom to junior Harper and freshman Baylor, both Lady Bearcats last year. In fact, when news of Hunt’s engagement broke, Cauley originally was undecided on if she wanted to apply.
“(After the season), I was exhausted,” Cauley said. “I had wrapped my mind around Lucie returning, so I was going to give it my all and do my best, thinking she’d be back.”
Following Thanksgiving and Christmas, Cauley was able to find some quiet and had the rest she needed. She finally approached both Hunt and Gressett and said she’d like to be considered for the head job.
“I felt like it was what I was supposed to do,” Cauley said. “I feel like there’s work to be done; I want the torch and the reputation for everything that Lucie did. And I want to continue it because we both care about it so much.”
Hunt said she understood why Cauley was a little apprehensive at first.
“Every coach goes through that,” Hunt said. “You’re pumped at the beginning of the season, and then you hit mid-season lows and get your playoff “second wind.” Then, after it’s over, you don’t want to talk about volleyball for months. But then you come back and have a refreshed perspective on things.”
For Gressett, naming Cauley was as easy of a decision as he’s ever made and said that the plan will be for Cauley to fill Hunt’s teaching spot for health and physical education.
“It’s a very easy transition,” Gressett said. “I’ve been through a lot of coaching changes. There’s always the kids are going to have a little bit of shock and a little bit of sadness and a little bit of tension regarding who’s going to be the next person. But it’s always short lived.”
Hunt was able to share the news with the team about her departure first, and then the team learned shortly after that Cauley would remain their head coach.
“There were some tears shed,” Hunt said. “The conversation from the kids was ‘We love you, we support you.’ And then the conversation quickly shifted to what will be done next year to pack people into the new gym. Then Mandy had a coversation with the team; looking back it was a very positive reaction.”
Going to back to Cauley’s role as both coach and mom to Harper and Baylor, Cauley was appreciative of Hunt talking with the two other them, separately.
“Lucy handled that really well,” Cauley said. “They knew it was coming because we talk a lot of volleyball at our house. They both felt good about me doing it.”
Hunt was also able to talk about what she wants her lasting legacy to be on the program that she inherited after two years.
“I’ve always had the philosophy of ‘coach them hard, but love them harder,'” Hunt said. “I pride myself on relationships. Sometimes you have to have those tough conversations with kids, but you have those relationships with them to where you’re able to do that.
“It was never really about wins and losses for me. It’s great when you win, but it’s even better when you see the relationships they have with each other.”
Hunt still expects to be able to have a presence in North Louisiana with her Rocket Fuel team, especially given that her family will still be in Ruston.
“My future husband does shift work,” Hunt said. “Every other weekend, he’s working. My family is still here, and I’m very, very close to my family. Even if I’m not here every week, I’ll still be around.”
Ruston High’s record through the years (223-82)
– 2015 (Cauley): 21-2
– 2016 (Cauley): 19-7
– 2017 (Cauley): 19-7
– 2018 (Hunt): 34-8
– 2019 (Hunt): 29-14
– 2020 (Hunt): 14-6 (COVID)
– 2021 (Hunt): 30-12
– 2022 (Hunt): 28-13
– 2023 (Cauley): 29-13
