E.D. White defeats MCHS in top 5 matchup

Morgan City brought he fight early, but E.D. White Catholic finished it during Tuesday’s District 8-III opener in
Thibodaux.
After the Lady Tigers stormed out the gates with an impressive win in the first set, the Lady Cardinals rallied back in the next three games to take a 19-25, 25-14, 25- 13, 25-17 win.
Tuesday’s district opener was a showdown between two of the top teams in the Division III state power ratings this week. The Lady Cardinals (15-6 overall, 1-0 in district) are ranked No. 2 in the latest Division III ratings, and Morgan City (20-6 overall, 0-1 in district) is listed at No. 5.
The Lady Tigers showed why they are ranked high in the early stages of Tuesday’s match. They dominated
play at the net, getting huge blocks and kills from Sh’Diamond Holly to break a 16-all tie with a late run to get the win in game 1.
E.D. White coach Sarah Johnson said she knew Morgan City would come out ready to play.
“We came in and we knew they were going to be a tough team,” Johnson said. “They showed it. They came out strong just like I thought. We had to answer back.”
The Lady Cardinals did that and more as they dominated the match’s next three games.
E.D. White picked up the tempo offensively, using strong performances by Lila Bordis (19 kills, two aces), Joci Gravois (11 kills, three blocks), Rebecka Bollinger (three blocks, 20 digs), Maddie Gros (14 digs), Mary
Grace Chaisson (36 assists) and Emmi Lasseigne (two digs).
“We had a lot of errors in the first game,” Johnson said. “I told them we had to limit our errors. We were able to turn it around and change the momentum of the game.”
After suffering two nondistrict losses to Archbishop Chapelle and Central Catholic last week, Bordis said the
Lady Cardinals were prepared for Tuesday’s match.
“We came back as a team better than ever,” Bordis said. “We talked about what we had to do. We knew we would get down on ourselves, but once we get back, we’re fine. When we get back in rhythm, we’re good.”
Morgan City coach Christy Theriot said the Lady Tigers just couldn’t keep up the intensity throughout the match.
“Their offense came on, and our passing didn’t allow us to run our offense,” Theriot said. “We stood behind the eight ball the whole time after the first (game). They are very scrappy. They picked up everything. They didn’t give up. They didn’t quit. They came back from everything. We just made too many mistakes. We just have to come back stronger, because it’s not going to get any easier.”
E.D. White and Morgan City now are bracing for their next games in district play. The Lady Cardinals will host rival Vandebilt Catholic Thursday. Vandebilt Catholic is ranked No. 4 in the latest Division III power ratings. Morgan City will travel to Berwick Thursday.