The Griffins’ Cadie Kusy (8) watches her shot as Mt. Carmel faces Dutchtown in the LHSAA state volleyball tournament on Friday, November 10, 2023, at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
Parkview Baptist’s Laurel Cassidy (13) tries to get the ball over a pair of Hannan defenders in a Division III semifinal game at the LHSAA state volleyball tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
The Griffins’ Cadie Kusy (8) watches her shot as Mt. Carmel faces Dutchtown in the LHSAA state volleyball tournament on Friday, November 10, 2023, at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
Parkview Baptist’s Laurel Cassidy (13) tries to get the ball over a pair of Hannan defenders in a Division III semifinal game at the LHSAA state volleyball tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
2024 Star of Stars Metro Volleyball
DIVISION I, II
Player of the Year
CADIE KUSY, Dutchtown, Sr. Outside Hitter
No one knew what type of team Dutchtown might have in 2024, but it didn’t keep the Griffins and senior outside hitter Cadie Kusy from enjoying the moment.
“This season was just really fun for everyone,” said Kusy, the all-metro upper division player of the year. “It was my senior year and no one really had many expectations for us, but we worked really hard over the summer and came together in the preseason.”
A repeat member of the all-metro squad, Kusy turned in a stellar season with 489 kills, 487 digs, 28 blocks and 54 aces. It was the type of leadership that was needed for a Dutchtown team that graduated 10 seniors off last year’s roster.
Even so, the Griffins hit the ground running when the season began. Kusy noticed her team’s chemistry in preseason scrimmages, and it never faded.
The second match of the regular season, an early-season contest against St. Joseph’s Academy provided a big boost. The Griffins won the first two sets before gutting out a five-set win on the road, their first regular-season win over SJA in four years.
“This year, we finished it out in the fifth set,” Kusy said. “We hadn’t done that before, especially not in all of my years. We had extremely intense games with them and then we finally came out with the win. That was very meaningful to start our season that way and it gave us some fire that ignited us for a while.”
Coach of the Year
PATRICK RICKS Dutchtown
Patrick Ricks is a repeat selection as Metro Star of Stars coach of the year, a testament to the work he and his team put in after Dutchtown graduated 10 seniors from last season’s squad that reached the Division I semifinals.
Expectations were that Dutchtown would need time, perhaps most of the season, to figure out its new lineup. Instead, the Griffins hardly missed a beat as they rolled through District I-5 and posted a 33-10 record.
“I don’t want to say this year was a surprise, but I didn’t really know how we would jell,” Ricks said. “The girls did a really good job of coming together and accepting roles. We made another good run winning district and making it to the quarterfinals. I was super happy with what we were able to accomplish.”
The Griffins were seeded sixth in the Division I playoffs and pushed No. 3 Mt. Carmel to five sets in the quarterfinals.
Division I, II All-Metro Team
GRACIE MANN
St. Joseph’s Academy, Jr.
Outside Hitter
296 kills, 224 digs
COURTNEY GRAYSON
East Ascension, Jr.
Middle Blocker
518 kills, 97 blocks
ANIA ANDERSON
Dutchtown, Sr.
Outside Hitter
437 kills, 367 digs, 78 aces
ADDE LEE
Central, Sr.
Outside Hitter
302 kills, 237 digs, 39 blocks
KAYLIE MCKINNEY
St. Joseph’s Academy, Sr.
Middle Blocker
177 kills, 55 blocks
ESTRELLA VAZQUEZ
Baton Rouge Magnet, Sr.
Setter/Right Side Hitter
574 assists, 98 kills
ALYSSA EVANS
St. Amant, Sr.
Right Side Hitter
192 kills, 40 blocks
TYLIA DAVIS
Scotlandville, Sr.
Middle Blocker
283 kills, 78 blocks, 76 aces
ADDISON GUY
Central, Jr.
Middle Blocker
265 kills, 74 blocks, 45 aces
PAITYN COLLINS
Liberty Magnet, Sr.
Setter/Outside Hitter
223 kills
COLYNN HOWARD
East Ascension, Sr.
Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter
255 kills, 119 digs, 46 aces
Honorable mention
Sofia Larenas, Baton Rouge High; Annie Talbot, Central; Caroline Johnson, Dutchtown; Khayren (KK) Josey, St. Amant; Avery Crochet, Brusly; Aniya Palmer, Scotlandville; Jy’Necia Barthelemy, Scotlandville; Caroline Burkhalter, – St. Joseph’s Academy.
DIVISION III, IV, V
Player of the Year
LAUREL CASSIDY, Parkview Baptist, Sr., Outside Hitter
Behind the leadership of senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Laurel Cassidy, Parkview Baptist put together a memorable run in the Division III playoffs.
A five-year letterman and an LSU signee, Cassidy was the main cog as the Eagles advanced to the state semifinals and is the The Advocate’s Divisions III, IV, V Metro Star of Stars Player of the Year.
A five-set semifinal loss to Archbishop Hannan ended the Eagles’ season, but it was still a campaign to remember for Parkview, which finished the season 24-11.
“There wasn’t one girl that didn’t feel like she was really a part of the team, and that made it more special because we came so close with Hannan,” Cassidy said. “We missed the mark by just a couple of points, but I was grateful that I got to play with such a special group of girls.”
Cassidy’s season totals were 362 kills, 314 digs, 111 assists and 37 aces. Among her postseason honors, she was named the District III-5 defensive most valuable player and recognized as part of the LHSCA/LHSAA all-academic team.
Cassidy’s Metro Star of Stars selection is something she said she shared with her teammates.
“I wish the whole team could get something like this because they helped me so much,” she said. “I didn’t feel like it was a me thing. I felt like it was an everybody thing and I told them all that. They were all excited and if a team can be that excited for you and your accomplishments then that’s how you know you were on a close team.”
Coach of the Year
MEAGAN HERRINGTON, Dunham
Two years removed from a state championship run, Meagan Herrington led Dunham back to the Division IV championship match.
The Tigers lost that match to Northlake Christian, but Herrington’s team served notice that its youthful squad was one to be reckoned with.
The Tigers outlasted Notre Dame with a five-set win in the second round. Their signature win came in the quarterfinals against top-seeded John Curtis. The eighth-seeded Tigers dropped the first two sets before storming back to stun the Patriots.
“We reverse swept them,” Herrington said. “We put a lot of emphasis on not looking at the score. It was pretty cool to come off the court with that win. Two of my girls said they didn’t look at the score the entire match, and it helped them stay calm. It was just a lot of fun.”
Dunham finished 30-11, the first 30-win season for Herrington, who previously was coach for three seasons at Catholic-Pointe Coupee.
Division III, IV, V All-Metro
KATHERINE MCDONALD
Dunham, So.
Setter
992 assists, 123 kills, 243 digs
JANA THYMES
Parkview Baptist, Jr.
Middle Hitter/Outside Hitter
412 kills, 79 blocks, 57 aces
SKYLAR TOWNER
St. Michael, So.
Middle Blocker
194 kills, 36 blocks, 19 aces
GRACIE MOORE
University High, Sr.
Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist
279 kills, 286 digs, 62 aces
KENNEDI OWENS
Dunham, So.
Outside Hitter/Setter
343 kills, 377 digs, 63 aces
LAURYN MATTHEWS
University High, Sr.
Middle Hitter
136 kills, 55 blocks
BELLA JOHNSTON
St. Michael, Jr.
Outside Hitter
245 kills, 218 digs, 62 aces
ELAINE BOURGEOIS
Episcopal, Sr.
Libero
221 digs, 30 aces
ISA RICHARDSON
Dunham, Jr.
Middle Hitter
276 kills, 106 blocks, 46 aces
ZADI HUGGINS
Dunham, So.
Outside Hitter
304 kills, 202 digs, 56 blocks
AADYN POLK
Parkview Baptist, Jr.
Setter
729 assists, 185 digs
Honorable mention
Marin Price, Parkview Baptist; Ava Landry, Ascension Catholic; Ava Bright, Ascension Catholic; Anna Pinter, Catholic-Pointe Coupee; Camille Haydel, St. John.
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