Lady Cardinals look for another volleyball title

The queens of the volleyball courts in Orange County the last three years are the Bridge City Lady Cardinals. This season they will be attempting to win their fourth straight district title.

Coach Savanah DeLuna helped her Lady Cardinals win their third straight district championship last season. "The Lady Cardinals went undefeated again and we got to the third round of the playoffs, so it was a great year last year. We've gone three rounds the past two years and they went three rounds the year before I got here so we're trying to get over that hump to get to the regional tournament," DeLuna replied.

Losing only one senior from last year almost all of the Lady Cardinals are back for this season. The big girl in the middle is Demi Carter who is a senior. Carter is an impact player at the net and is also very good when she serves.

A sophomore who played substantial touches last year is Makenna Knight. She will be the outside hitter for Bridge City and much more in the spotlight with a year on the varsity already.

Junior Nicole Sasser is nursing an ankle injury and should be back in the lineup later in August moving from a right outside hitter to a middle blocker. Sasser has improved tremendously over the summer according to DeLuna who is excited to see how Nicole does when she returns.

A knee injury has another sophomore Anna Kelly out for right now. Coach DeLuna is hopeful to get Kelly back before the season is over.

A third sophomore Cambree LaComb will be the setter for the Lady Cardinals. DeLuna indicated, "Cambree set a lot last year, but she'll be our lone setter out there this year."

Senior Lexi Nugier will be the libero for the Lady Cardinals. Nugier should be a key defender on the back row.

Kaylee Britten also a sophomore saw some time on the varsity last season but was an impact player for the Bridge City junior varsity. Britten has been solid for the Lady Cardinal varsity in the early games this year. "I'm excited to see Kaylee's progression," DeLuna commented.

Despite returning so many players from last season's district champions the Lady Cardinals are still pretty young. DeLuna explained, "There's still a lot of sophomores and even a freshman on the team. Truly this team loves each other and they love being around each other and they're willing to lay out on the floor for each other, and that's really something you can't teach. A team's either got it or they don't and this team's got it. I think that comradery and that grit they have is going to take them a long way and I'm really excited to see that."

Bridge City started the season with two impressive wins. The Lady Cardinals swept both Liberty and Dayton in straight sets.

On Tuesday, August 8, Bridge City won 25-12, 25-7, 25-13 over Liberty. Demi Carter led the Lady Cardinals in kills and aces with 8 apiece. Makenna Knight nailed 5 kills and 3 aces. Cambree LaComb made 16 assists, and Kaylee Britten served 6 aces.

Three nights later the Lady Cardinals bested Dayton 25-7, 25-18, 25-22 at Bridge City. The Lady Cardinals dominated the first two sets never trailing at any time. Dayton took a 13-9 lead in the third set before Bridge City rallied winning six of the last eight points to eventually win by three points.

Demi Carter was dominate inside again with 17 kills and 4 blocks while also serving 7 aces. Makenna Knight smashed 7 kills and had 4 aces. Cambree LaComb added 3 kills to her 25 assists. Kaylee Britten was the leader in digs with 11 followed by Lexi Nugier with 8 and Natalie Chavez with 6 digs.

Another district championship in volleyball is desirable for the Bridge City Lady Cardinals, but Coach DeLuna admitted, "I'm not really looking for anything in particular. Truly, I just want the girls to go out there and do their best and win games. I think it's going to be a little bit of a learning curve this year. They're going to have to fight and be more conscious in the things that they do on the court instead of just kind of swinging away. They have to be able to place the ball, outsmart the other team, and find the weak spots in the other team. We watch film and the girls love that."

The Lady Cardinals have some tough competition to face in their district. "I think that teams like Vidor, Lumberton, and LCM are all very competitive this year, so I'm excited to see how that is going to work into district play. It's always fun whenever you get to play the kids in this area, and all these girls know each other," DeLuna concluded.

Just prior to the start of district action Bridge City will participate in an exciting tournament out of state. The Lady Cardinals will travel to Orlando, Florida to play some teams not from Texas at that tournament.