University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Looking Back at Fall 2020 With Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot
12/18/2020 1:58:00 PM | Volleyball
LAFAYETTE - The 2020 season, though unique in the nature of how it was set up and carried out, will go down as one of the most successful season in the 45-year history of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball program.
A double-digit win streak to start the season (second-best start ever at 11-0), the program's first-ever national ranking, double-digit conference wins a second straight year and four All-Sun Belt award winners are just some of the many reasons for head coach Heather Mazieitis-Fontenot and her squad to be proud.
With the arrival of 2021 on the horizon, Mazeitis-Fontenot took a moment to reflect upon the journey the Ragin' Cajuns (17-7, 11-5 Sun Belt) took in fall 2020.
Q: Looking back on such a unique season, what are you most proud of in terms of how your team adapted to the challenges?
HMF: There are so many things that this team did well and reasons to be proud of them. No one knows how to coach in a pandemic ... we learned on our feet. The same can be said for our players. They did the best they could with the restrictions put upon them. They quarantined when they needed to quarantine. They played hard when they needed to play hard. They studied when they need to study.
If there's anything I'm most proud of it's that we were able to get through the season and stay intact. To play 24 matches during the fall was quite remarkable. But it was due to their diligence and responsibility that they took for our team's safety and success.
Q: The 2020 team produced one of the most efficient seasons offensively that the program has had in the rally scoring era. What were the keys to that success?
HMF: The main key to our success was that we passed really well. We had arguably one of the top three slab arrows in the conference and that really helped our offense be on good footing. Of course you can attribute that to Avery Breaux really coming into her own this season and distributing the ball well. But then do you also talk about Hali Wisnoskie and Kara Barnes? And, we for sure can't have an offense without Kelsey Bennett. I think that it was a group effort for sure.
Q: You started off 11-0 and obtained a national ranking. What were the key factors for the incredible start?
HMF: We faced so many challenges coming into the season that playing volleyball seemed to be the escape, or the easiest. The team responded to that by winning. They played for themselves. They played free.
Q: It was another banner year offensively for Hali Wisnoskie, scoring at a career-best pace. Describe how she was able to be so effective.
HMF: Hali was able to see the court really well. She was incredibly efficient both in serve receive and in transition. This was a shift that made her that much better, as well as the team.
Q: Several other veteran players had career-type years. Which one was most impressive?
HMF: There are several accomplishments to highlight and possibly too many to single out any one. We had two players make first team all-conference (Hali Wisnoskie and Avery Breaux) and statistically our libero (Hannah Ramirez) ranked No. 1 in the nation for the entire season, just to name a few that stood out.
Q: Of the freshmen who saw playing time, who stood out the most?
HMF: Cami Hicks came in as soon as conference started and did a great job. She learned on the job as a starter. She grew in her position and got better at all aspects of being a middle. But what stood out the most is that she's a great teammate.
Q: What was your most memorable moment (or match) of the season and why?
HMF: The most memorable match was the five-set marathon match against Little Rock for the sheer will that it took us to come out with that win. It could also be the five-set win at UT Arlington when we were down by two sets and came back to win in five. Both showed the grit and mental strength that had grown within our players over the last three years.
Q: If you were to give a final grade on the team's overall performance this fall, what would be your assessment?
Oh, that's a tough one because as a coach you're always striving for more. A high grade for sure. I will always wonder what the Sun Belt Conference Tournament would have been like for us if we hadn't lost a few key players to COVID protocols going into it.
-- RaginCajuns.com --
A double-digit win streak to start the season (second-best start ever at 11-0), the program's first-ever national ranking, double-digit conference wins a second straight year and four All-Sun Belt award winners are just some of the many reasons for head coach Heather Mazieitis-Fontenot and her squad to be proud.
With the arrival of 2021 on the horizon, Mazeitis-Fontenot took a moment to reflect upon the journey the Ragin' Cajuns (17-7, 11-5 Sun Belt) took in fall 2020.
Q: Looking back on such a unique season, what are you most proud of in terms of how your team adapted to the challenges?
HMF: There are so many things that this team did well and reasons to be proud of them. No one knows how to coach in a pandemic ... we learned on our feet. The same can be said for our players. They did the best they could with the restrictions put upon them. They quarantined when they needed to quarantine. They played hard when they needed to play hard. They studied when they need to study.
If there's anything I'm most proud of it's that we were able to get through the season and stay intact. To play 24 matches during the fall was quite remarkable. But it was due to their diligence and responsibility that they took for our team's safety and success.
Q: The 2020 team produced one of the most efficient seasons offensively that the program has had in the rally scoring era. What were the keys to that success?
HMF: The main key to our success was that we passed really well. We had arguably one of the top three slab arrows in the conference and that really helped our offense be on good footing. Of course you can attribute that to Avery Breaux really coming into her own this season and distributing the ball well. But then do you also talk about Hali Wisnoskie and Kara Barnes? And, we for sure can't have an offense without Kelsey Bennett. I think that it was a group effort for sure.
Q: You started off 11-0 and obtained a national ranking. What were the key factors for the incredible start?
HMF: We faced so many challenges coming into the season that playing volleyball seemed to be the escape, or the easiest. The team responded to that by winning. They played for themselves. They played free.
Q: It was another banner year offensively for Hali Wisnoskie, scoring at a career-best pace. Describe how she was able to be so effective.
HMF: Hali was able to see the court really well. She was incredibly efficient both in serve receive and in transition. This was a shift that made her that much better, as well as the team.
Q: Several other veteran players had career-type years. Which one was most impressive?
HMF: There are several accomplishments to highlight and possibly too many to single out any one. We had two players make first team all-conference (Hali Wisnoskie and Avery Breaux) and statistically our libero (Hannah Ramirez) ranked No. 1 in the nation for the entire season, just to name a few that stood out.
Q: Of the freshmen who saw playing time, who stood out the most?
HMF: Cami Hicks came in as soon as conference started and did a great job. She learned on the job as a starter. She grew in her position and got better at all aspects of being a middle. But what stood out the most is that she's a great teammate.
Q: What was your most memorable moment (or match) of the season and why?
HMF: The most memorable match was the five-set marathon match against Little Rock for the sheer will that it took us to come out with that win. It could also be the five-set win at UT Arlington when we were down by two sets and came back to win in five. Both showed the grit and mental strength that had grown within our players over the last three years.
Q: If you were to give a final grade on the team's overall performance this fall, what would be your assessment?
Oh, that's a tough one because as a coach you're always striving for more. A high grade for sure. I will always wonder what the Sun Belt Conference Tournament would have been like for us if we hadn't lost a few key players to COVID protocols going into it.
-- RaginCajuns.com --
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
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