Old rival stops Central Catholic's bid for state title

Central Catholic’s volleyball team powered its way through the LHSAA volleyball bracket, until the Eagles ran into the division’s perennial powerhouse.
Central Catholic brought home the second-place trophy from the Division V state championship game Saturday after falling to rival Metairie Park Country Day 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-8) at Lafayette’s Cajundome.
This was the 10th straight year that the Eagles climbed at least as high as the state quarterfinals. And it was the team’s third finals appearance in that span.
The two previous finals were in 2017 and 2019, and both times, the Eagles fell to Metairie Park Country Day.
In that same 10-year stretch, Country Day has won 10 straight Division V championships dating back to 2016.
Coach Sunni Blanchard’s Eagles built a strong case for a place among this year’s best with a 23-5 regular season record. The team had the right mix of front-line hitters and overall talent to win its last seven regular-season matches.
In the playoffs, Central Catholic won its first eight sets. The Eagles downed Family Christian 3-0 (25-0, 25-3, 25-7), then moved to the regionals to knock off Catholic-Pointe Coupee 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-11).
The Eagles won two sets against another old rival, Episcopal of Acadiana, 25-12 and 28-6, before finally giving up a set 21-25. Central Catholic bounced back to finish off the match with a 25-23 set and a 3-1 match win.
In the semifinals, Central Catholic was a 3-1 winner against another old rival, Westminster Christian, 15-25, 25-23, 20-25 and 18-16. That earned the Eagles their place in the finals.