By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

BOUTTE — Hahnville marched out to an early lead and never let up against East St. John Thursday, sweeping the visiting Wildcats in a district match, 25-3, 25-7 and 25-7 to set the Tigers up for a pivotal upcoming week of play.

Bailee Kaplan made 12 kills to go along with three aces and two digs. Kylie Roux had 12 kills. Payton Elizondo had 21 assists and served 10 aces.

Elizondo led a serving effort Hahnville coach Mendi LeBoeuf was quite pleased with.

“That was one thing we did well all match,” LeBoeuf said. “We served aggressively and consistently, and that’s what we ask them to do.”

Hahnville improved to 21-14 overall, with the win, 5-3 in district play. HHS is 18th overall in the Division I power rankings.

The Tigers are primed for matchups against H.L. Bourgeois and district leader Terrebonne next week. HHS fell to both teams earlier in district action, each time in five sets.

“We’ve had some hiccups along the way,” LeBoeuf said. “It’s exciting to have a chance to see how far we’ve come from the first round of district. It’s a pretty big week for us.”

A pair of aces by Elizondo helped HHS jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first game. Jessica Scioneaux answered with a kill for ESJ, but Hahnville quickly caught fire. Mary Beth Landry and Amber Robicheaux made kills to ignite a 10-0 run that made it 13-2, and Hahnville never looked back. Marissa Bergeron clinched the set with a kill for the final point.

With Elizondo on the serving line, Hahnville scored the first 14 points of the second game. HHS went on to score 19 of the first 20, with kills by Amber Robicheaux and Roux helping close things out.

A pair of Roux kills and some strong serving by Elizondo helped HHS get off to another strong start, HHS taking a 12-2 lead in the second set. Kaplan made kills on three of Hahnville’s final five points, including the match-clincher.

East St. John coach Emily Palmer credited Hahnville for a strong performance, and said for the Wildcats to compete on that level, it will take some offseason commitment.

“Where we are now in volleyball, it’s not just a three-month sport,” Palmer said. “I can recognize the frustration in our girls when things aren’t going well on the court. When you’re facing players who play year-round, during the summer and on club teams, it makes a huge difference. That’s the next step for us.”

Brianne Harry had four digs for ESJ. Chardea Berthelot made two blocks, while Kalah Jones added three digs.