Martin, LeBlanc lead Lady Bulldogs to sweep of Lady Wildcats

By GEORGE MAHL

Sports Editor

LUTCHER – The Lutcher Lady Bulldogs concluded the home part of their schedule with a 25-6, 25-13, 25-11 victory over St. James Tuesday evening in Lutcher.

Traci Martin had nine aces and 13 assists in the victory for Lutcher.

“I thought that our serving was very good today,” said Lutcher Head Coach Ricky LeBlanc.

Lutcher jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead after two aces from server Lauri Martin. Following a return error by Lutcher, making the score 10-6 Lutcher, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 13-0 run to grab a 23-6 lead.

All of the points scored by the Lady Bulldogs occurred when Traci Martin was serving. In addition, Martin had six aces during the run, including three in a row. Her final ace of the first game made the score 23-6.

A return error by Lutcher gave the Lady Bulldogs the victory in game one.

In the second game, Lutcher never trailed. The closest St. James would come to taking the lead was when the score was 4-4. Two aces from Traci Martin gave the Lady Bulldogs a 9-6 lead.

With the Lady Bulldogs leading 11-8, Lutcher went on a 6-0 spurt to grab a 17-8 lead. The Lutcher lead swelled to 20-11 after a kill from Tristian LeBlanc.

An ace from Lauri Martin and a return error gave the Lady Bulldogs the 25-13 victory in the second game.

The third game saw the Lady Wildcats play a much more competitive game than the previous two.

They were able to hang with Lutcher early, tying the game twice. A return error by LHS tied the score 8-8.

After that, however, it was downhill for the Lady Wildcats. Lutcher would go on a 7-0 run to take a 15-8 lead. Two aces from LeBlanc gave them a six point lead. A 16-9 lead would become a 22-10 lead near the end of the third game. A kill by Lauri Martin gave the Lady Bulldogs a 12-point lead.

An ace from server Ricki LeBlanc capped off the victory for Lutcher.

Tristian LeBlanc led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 digs and Lauri Martin had nine kills in the win for Lutcher.

Overall, the LHS head coach was a little disappointed at how the 2004 season went for his squad.

“I’m not disrespecting Belle Chasse or anyone, but I felt like we had a good enough team to make the playoffs this year,” he said.