By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Ruston High’s volleyball squad has had a busy seven days, playing a total of seven matches all over Louisiana before returning home for back-to-back wins, including a District 2-5A opener.
Over the week, the Lady Bearcats (6-3, 1-0 District) won four matches and dropped three. The final scores were:
- 9/5/25, @ Episcopal of Acadiana : L, 1-3 (21-25, 17-25, 26-24, 15-25)
- 9/6/25, @ Lafayette Christian: W, 2-1 (26-24, 20-25, 15-8)
- 9/6/25, vs. Walker: W, 2-1 (19-25, 25-22, 15-4)
- 9/6/25, vs. Ascension Episcopal: L, 0-2 (19-25, 20-25)
- 9/6/25, vs. Catholic-High School: L, 0-2 (9-25, 19-25)
- 9/9/25, vs. Alexandria Senior High: W, 3-0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-7)
- 9/11/25, vs. Northwood: W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-6)
“I think we grew so much in the last seven days,” Ruston High Head Coach Mandy Cauley said. “The match at Episcopal of Acadiana was a battle. It was extremely hot in the gym with a low ceiling, a very noisy student section, and we were playing a solid team on the road. So all of those factors came into play and my young crew stayed so composed. We played them so well. The officials called the game very tight on us, and while you can never blame officials, there were some calls that felt like they stole our momentum a little bit that were questionable. The girls stayed positive and composed and we took the third set from them 26-24. They just fought so hard and showed so much composure.
“(At the North/South Tournament), we went two and two on the weekend. We opened up and beat Lafayette Christian Academy and Walker and then lost to Ascension Episcopal and Catholic High. And I’m gonna be honest with you, I think we were just tired by the end of the day. We were short a couple of players and our girls that touched the ball the most, I think just ran out of gas.”
Cauley also noted the performances of senior Camille Smith, juniors Baylor Cauley and Jane Ramsey, and Camille freshman MacKenzie Roach over the weekend.
“I was pleased with Mackenzie,” Cauley said. “She came in because sophomore Bridget Crittenden was at a soccer tournament. And so she played in that position and did a really nice job hitting and blocking for us. She didn’t play timid like a freshman — she just came in and played with confidence. And that was exciting to see. I was really pleased with the connection between Baylor and Jane. When it’s on, it’s really fun to watch and hard to beat. So that’s one of the key factors I’m noticing about our team this year. We switched Baylor to be playing in the middle so I could have a little bit more offense from the middle of the court. And that has been a good switch. But also want to commend Camille on her serves. She’s scored a lot of aces for us, and she’s coming in and doing a good job in the passing and serving game. She’s worked really hard and stepped up as a leader and she doing a great job.”
Ruston returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 16, for a road trip to Pineville to continue district play.
