Full schedule molds Iowa into team
After playing as many matches as the Louisiana High School Athletic Association allows, Iowa enters the Division III volleyball playoffs confident of claiming the school’s first postseason win since 2012.
The No. 14 seed Yellow Jackets will host No. 19 St. Martinville in a Division III first-round match at 5:30 p.m. today.
Head coach Grant Anderson said he hopes the chemistry and bond between players created during the regular season pays dividends in the postseason.
"It was a long season, we played 46 games, the most allowed," Anderson said. "It built character. We played some tough opponents. We played well all around. We were able to overcome adversity and learned to trust one another.
"One of our biggest strengths is our ability to play as a unit. No one cares who gets the kills or who gets the stats. They love playing together."
Anderson said the program has become more stable after the past three years.
"We’ve had tremendous growth over the past three years," he said. "We have been able to build the program piece by piece. We have been able to get high-character kids. The system we put in place took some time to learn, but all the kids have bought in and trusted the process."
The ‘Jackets will face a familiar foe, having beaten the Tigers 25-14, 25-13 earlier this month.
"We played them at the Highland Baptist tournament a couple of weeks ago," Anderson said. "They have two big middle blockers and an outside hitter. We were able to control the ball, control the tempo."
<strong>Elsewhere</strong>
In other Division III matches, No. 12 Iota (20-21) hosts No. 21 Church Point (18-19) and No. 10 St. Louis (19-19) hosts No. 23 Cecilia (15-9). Both start at 5:30 p.m. today.
The Saints finished the regular season by winning seven of their last nine matches, including a pair of wins over Iowa to capture the District 2-III title. Iota and Church Point have played three times this season, with Iota losing the first match but winning the last two.
No. 32 DeQuincy and No 31 Jennings are on the road to face the top two Division III seeds. The Tigers (8-22) are at No. 1 Vandebilt Catholic (33-19) while the Bulldogs (9-22) are at No. 2 St. Michael (31-5).
St. Martinville at Iowa | 5:30 p.m.