By Kyle Roberts
LAFAYETTE, La. — Ruston High’s volleyball team fell to top-ranked Mt. Carmel in three sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-16) in an LHSAA postseason quarterfinal at the Cajun Dome, closing the book on the team’s second run to the Cajun Dome in four seasons.
The Lady Bearcats ran into a Mt. Carmel team that moved faster than they did, and head coach Mandy Cauley made no bones about it.
“I’m going to tip my hat. Mt. Carmel is a very worthy opponent,” Cauley said. “They’re big and powerful, and they play great defense. Their offense was just a little faster than ours tonight, and that put them in position to score a lot. We settled down late in the game, and unfortunately time just ran out. I think we started playing our best about halfway through the third set.
“It just took us a while to calm down because the game was so fast. We never could find a rhythm, sadly. We weren’t able to get on runs and score multiple points in a row, like we normally do. That never allowed us to get our footing. We did some things well. We just couldn’t string them together back to back to back.”
Freshman outside hitter Josie Cauley led Ruston High with nine kills. Freshman outside hitter Lily Bissell added five kills. Senior setter Baylor Cauley dished out 17 assists, and senior middle hitter Jane Ramsey blocked three shots.
The loss also meant goodbye for the senior class that has continued to advance the program.
“The ending was tough. Bidding them farewell, acknowledging that the journey is over, was a tough pill to swallow,” Cauley said. “I’m grateful for each of them and the ways they’ve contributed and built this program over the past four years. I think they have so much to be proud of.”
Cauley also pointed to the crowd that filled the building for Ruston High.
“The fan support was insane. It felt like everybody was there with us,” Cauley said. “I want to say thank you to everybody who took their time and gas money and energy and time off work to support us. It means the world, and we’re so grateful for the love and support everybody showed us.”
