University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- (337) 482-6327
The all-time winningest head coach in Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball history, Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot has guided the direction of the program since January 2008.
She became the 12th head volleyball coach in Ragin’ Cajuns history when she assumed her current duties and is now the program’s longest-tenured mentor.
Mazeitis-Fontenot oversaw Louisiana’s finest season of the Sun Belt Conference era (1991-present) during the 2017 campaign (21-11, 13-3 SBC). The squad raced out to a school-record 7-0 start in league play, posted the first winning conference mark since 2002 and set the school record for SBC wins (13). The reward was the program's highest seed ever (No. 3) in the SBC Tournament.
She earned the distinction of all-time wins leader on Nov. 3, 2017 in a four-set triumph over South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., which marked her 137th win, surpassing the previous record of 136 wins set by Wilo Colon from 1986-90.
The on-court success also resulted in landmark recognition for the program. Four players - Dree'Ana Abram, Jessica Bartczyszyn, Sydney Davis and Hali Wisnoskie - were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team, the most selections in program history. Wisnoskie was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and the Ragin’ Cajuns won a record eight player of the week awards.
Louisiana’s steady rise to the top has continued every year since Mazeitis-Fontenot’s first day on the job.
Her first campaign saw the squad double its win total from the previous season. In 2009, the Cajuns recorded their best win total since 2002. In 2010, UL notched 17 victories for the first time in a decade and qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time since 2002.
In 2012, Mazeitis-Fontenot became the first Cajuns coach to lead the team to multiple SBC Tournaments since Chris Campbell made three straight trips from 1999-2001.
She led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 19-14 record in 2013, the program’s highest win total since 1997, and the highest win percentage since 1990. Then in 2014, the program posted its first 20-win season (20-13 record) since 1990 and made an appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament for the third straight year.
The 2014 wins total marked the fourth consecutive season with 10 or more victories. It was the first time since 1999-2002 that the Ragin’ Cajuns achieved the feat.
Under her direction Louisiana has improved its win total in three consecutive seasons twice, first from 2008-10 and once again from 2012-14.
Mazeitis-Fontenot has also made an impact off the court. She oversaw the renovation of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ locker room and various other portions of Earl K. Long Gym (playing court, lighting) and has increased the team’s presence in the community by offering volleyball camps throughout the entire summer months.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have also been successful in the classroom. The team received the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2013 by maintaining a 3.30 cumulative grade point average during the 2012-13 academic year. Louisiana qualified for the award for a second straight season following the 2013-14 academic year.
Committed to a fan-friendly environment at Earl K. Long Gym, Mazeitis-Fontenot was instrumental in securing free admission to all matches beginning with the 2017 season which resulted in near capacity crowds on several occasions. The tradition of a block party was also born that season when Geno Dealfose and French Rockin’ Boogie performed on the lawn of the gym in late-September.
Recent academic success saw over 60 percent of the roster (13-of-21 student-athletes) achieve a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 2017-18 academic year. Seven individuals were named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List (3.5 or higher GPA).
Prior to her arrival in Cajun Country, Mazeitis-Fontenot spent seven seasons at the helm at Louisiana Tech (2001-07). She led La. Tech to a combined 53 victories in her first three seasons, an average of nearly 18 wins per season.
In 2002, the Techsters posted an 11-win improvement over the previous season, tied for the seventh-largest turnaround in college volleyball.
Prior to her time at Tech, she led a successful junior college volleyball program at Kansas City (Kan.) Community College.
The winningest coach in KCKCC history (single season and career), Mazeitis-Fontenot compiled a 155-110 record. Her squad was featured in the NJCAA Division I Top 20 Volleyball national rankings each of her final two seasons.
In addition to coaching collegiate volleyball, Mazeitis-Fontenot was also involved in USA junior club volleyball in the Heart of America Region. She led her Team KC 16 & under club to the junior nationals and a seventh place finish in the 2000 club season.
Mazeitis-Fontenot earned a degree in business administration in 1992 from Central Oklahoma where she played middle blocker.
In May 2009, she married Tim Fontenot of nearby Mamou.
