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Morgan City High School won its Division III firstround playoff game Tuesday with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-10) win against Iowa in Morgan City. The Lady Tigers will continue postseason play Thursday at 6 p.m. at E.D. White. Above, Morgan City setter Jolee Nini is in action at the net during Tuesday's victory. (The Daily Review/Mico Aloisio)

MCHS Lady Tigers sweep Iowa

Morgan City High School’s Sh’diamond Holly and Kennedy Hebert must have been anxious to go trick or treating.
The duo dominated Iowa High School in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Division III state volleyball playoffs at Morgan City Tuesday. No. 9 Morgan City (21-15) dispatched No. 24 Iowa (16-19) 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-10) in about an hour.
Holly, a junior, led the Lady Tigers with 15 kills, while Hebert, a senior, had 11 kills.
“They played super, but I can’t say I expected them to do as well as they did at the net tonight,” Morgan City Coach Christy Theriot said. “But everyone played well. We had a couple errors but nothing that cost us.”
Holly and two solo blocks, while Hebert also contributed three assists, one ace, three digs and two solo blocks.
The win is Morgan City’s first volleyball playoff victory since sweeping Evangel 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-16) in the first round of the 2013 postseason.
Holly and Hebert had some big-time help setting up their kills Tuesday with Jolee Nini handing out 28 assists.
“Jolee (Nini), our setter, also had a super game,” Theriot said. “She has been playing very well for us.”
Nini added an ace to her stat line.
The Lady Tigers defeated Ursuline Academy 2-1 (23-25, 25-21, 15-12) at Dunham’s tournament last weekend. The win was an upset with Ursuline coming into the tourney ranked No.4 in the latest Division III power ranking.
“Ever since we beat Ursuline on Saturday, our confidence and play has sky rocked,” Theriot said. “I’m glad to see them playing that way and at the right time.”
As a team, Morgan City had 39 kills and 10 aces Tuesday.
Other top contributors were Haylie Crappell, four kills, one assist, two aces and four digs; Karmen Peterson, five kills; and Allie Vincent, one assist, four aces and four digs
Morgan City will continue postseason play Thursday when it travels to face District 8-III foe E.D. White in the second round in Thibodaux Thursday at 6 p.m.
“We know them very well, they’re in our district and they’re always really good,” the coach said.
E.D. White, which received a first-round bye, defeated Morgan City in the regular season, winning 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-14) Oct. 10 in Thibodaux and 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-16) in Morgan City Oct. 19.
The Cardinals finished second in District 8-III play behind Division III’s top seed, Vandebilt Catholic.
E.D. White enters Thursday’s matchup having lost its regular season finale to Assumption 2-1 (25-17, 17-25, 9-15) at Episcopal School of Acadiana’s Spooktacular last weekend. The Cardinals finished the tournament with a 2-3 mark.
While E.D. White is 18-20 this season, the Cardinals have faced a gauntlet of a schedule.
Morgan City enters Thursday’s contest having won three straight, including their final two games against Madison Prep and Westlake at Dunham’s tournament.
The Lady Tigers finished 2-2 at the tournament Saturday.
Morgan City is looking for its first state tournament appearance since the 2006 season when the squad finished as state runner-up in Division II.
Meanwhile, E.D. White, a state tournament regular, will be looking for a return trip to the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner after missing the event in 2016.
Additional reporting by Review Sports Editor Geoff Stoute

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