James Bewers Lafayette Daily Advertiser Published 4:52 PM EST Nov 9, 2018 KENNER — Ascension Episcopal volleyball coach Jill Braun saw this coming because it almost always comes down to this. Sure, anyone could have envisioned a matchup between two-time defending champion Country Day and Ascension in the Division V volleyball state title game. They’re the obvious favorites as the top two seeds in the bracket. But as the No. 2 Lady Blue Gators (30-10) have come so close to lifting a trophy over the last five years, led by a group of eight players who are now seniors, the No. 1 Lady Cajuns have often been standing in their way. More: State volleyball playoff scoreboard When it’s not Country Day, it’s Louise McGehee, the other New Orleans-area school, which Ascension beat in the quarterfinals Thursday. It was the first time Ascension had ever beaten the Hawks at the state tournament. McGehee eliminated the Lady Blue Gators in the semifinals last year. Braun has led her team to the semifinals in each of the last five years, and the Lady Blue Gators have advanced to the finals three times. Twice, in 2014 and 2016, Country Day knocked off Ascension. In 2015, the Lady Blue Gators fell at the hands of McGehee. So even in beating seventh-seeded McGehee in straight sets Thursday, there was still one giant left to be slayed. But not before outlasting Central Catholic, a team Ascension lost to in straight sets in September, in Friday’s semifinals. More:… [Read full story]
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