LC-M netters excited over 2007 possibilities

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LC-M netters excited over 2007 possibilities

Van Wade

The Orange Leader

LITTLE CYPRESS — The Little Cypress-Mauriceville volleyball squad barely missed the postseason in 2005, placing fourth in a rugged District 20-4A.

Last season, the Lady Bears busted through, winning 20 games and landed the third-place playoff spot out of what was a rugged District 22-4A.

The playoffs were fun for the Lady Bears, but their goals are much higher entering the 2007 season.

“We’re looking for a very exciting season,†said 6-1 senior middle blocker Morgan Blohm. “We have several key seniors back and a great group of juniors that will make a huge impact. Last year was a great season and all but this year we want to move up in the standings and our main goal, of course, is to win a district title.â€

Long-time Lady Bear coach Vicki Castino likes the promise that the Lady Bears show.

“We have seven kids back with varsity experience and that includes three starters,†Castino said. “We have some young ones off our JV that are ready to take that next step. We’ve got a hard-working group and if they stay healthy and make their grades, we’ve got a great chance at making the playoffs again.â€

Blohm, an all-district pick last season, sophomore hitter Christine Sicktich, the 22-4A Newcomer of the Year and junior libero Shayna Sheppard are all returning starters. Returning letterwinners include Kristi Trahan, Olivia Hinds, Jordyn Davis and Carly Gauthier.

Sicktich had an awesome campaign as a freshman and looks for big things again from the Lady Bears.

“I’m very excited about this season,†Sicktich said. “We’ve got a lot of talent back and more talent to mix in with that. I definitely think we can make the playoffs again and we’d like to do it by winning district. That would be awesome.â€

Sicktich played for an elite USA Volleyball Team over the course of the summer. It was an All-Star team made up of players that were born in 1992 and 1993.

“That was a tremendous experience, one that I will always remember,†Sicktich. “The competition was amazing. I got to go to some great places, especially for a big tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I think the whole experience has really helped my game.â€

Newcomers expected to make heavy contributions include Alexa Humble, Kinsey Staudt, Rebecca Dimas, Maci Wilcox, Brittany Wiegand, Erica Bloodworth and Kaci Olson.

The Lady Bears have a tough road schedule before 22-4A play opens up, including trips to the Barbers Hill Tournament (Aug. 16-18) and the prestigious Northwest Tournament (Aug. 24-25) in Dallas before the first official day of school.

“That schedule will certainly get us ready,†said Castino. “The Barbers Hill Tournament is really great because it is a round robin tournament and we’ll get six matches that will all be 3-out-of-5 sets. That should get us ready for the big Dallas trip.â€

Blohm likes the idea of traveling before the season.

“It’s great, because this year it all happens before school starts,†Blohm said. “It will give us a chance to bond even more as a team too. We just got back from an awesome team camp at the University of Alabama and that was a super fun trip.â€

District 22-4A looks to be a crap-shoot again. Nederland ruled the roost last year and Port Neches-Groves was second. However, Nederland lost a ton of talent to graduation.

“This is definitely one of those years where everything is a mystery,†Castino said. “Nederland lost a lot but they’ll still be very good. PN-G is always PN-G and they’ll be strong again. Ozen is always tough and Vidor came on strong last year with a young team. It should be very interesting all the way and I think we have a team talented enough to be right in the thick of it all the way through.â€