By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — West St. John coach Glenda Rush said she could see how much her players wanted a victory Thursday by the pain etched upon their faces.
The Rams entered District 6-V play with a lot of momentum, but West St. John fell at home in a hard-fought five game match to Covenant Christian, 21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 and 15-8.
Tre’shaun Trench had 14 aces and Brittany August added eight more to lead West St. John. Kaieonne Sorapuru had five kills while August and Sydnie Harrison each had two kills.
“My girls fought to the bitter end. I’m very proud of them,” said Rush.
“They wanted this win badly. Covenant Christian did a good job reading our defense and finding some of the holes we left … We need to cover the middle better than we did. It’ll come with experience.”
Rush said that the Rams (9-3) were hyped-up to begin the match and played crisp volleyball to capture the first game.
The serving of Trench and August was especially on point, she noted.
“I thought they were overplaying us (up front), so I told Tre to start serving long,” said Rush. “That helped us stay in it.”
The Rams led two games to one, but mistakes began to compound in the final two games.
“I think they capitalized on some areas we left open,” said Rush.
“We also have had some trouble adjusting our hitting and understanding when to spike it and when to dink it into the middle.”
The Rams were coming off of a win Tuesday against Warren-Easton Tuesday. Its Oct. 8 meeting with Capitol on the road was cancelled.
West St. John will be tested in its next contest. The Rams will travel to perennial district contender Houma Christian Tuesday.
Last season, the Rams broke through after a long dry spell against the Warriors, earning a split.
“They’re always a tough one for us. But one thing my girls need to understand is that when their minds are on top of things, they’ve got the ability to play with anyone. They shouldn’t be in awe, and I don’t think they will be.”