Nine Southwest Louisiana volleyball teams qualified for the Louisiana School Athletic Association playoffs, but only two will start the trek to the state tournament at home.

Sam Houston (33-7) drew the area’s highest seed at No. 5 in Division I and will host district rival No. 28 Barbe (16-20) at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“I am excited for us to be at this point finally,” Sam Houston head coach Rene Fontenot said. “It feels like it has taken forever.

“Thirty-three-and-7, we have played a lot of games. We have played some tough tournaments, and we are ready.”

In Division III, No. 14 Westlake (21-13) will host No. 20 Pearl River at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Rams have won eight of their last 11 matches.

The state tournament will start with the quarterfinals on Nov. 9 at the Cajundome in Lafayette. Sam Houston was the lone area team to reach the state tournament last year, losing to Northshore in the quarterfinals.

Sam Houston entered the final weekend of the regular season on a seven-match win streak but went 3-2 at the Episcopal of Acadiana tournament against some quality competition with losses to Division I No. 11 Archbishop Chapelle and Division V No. 3 Ascension Episcopal.

“Last weekend was rough for most of us in the area,” Fontenot said. “There were a lot of us that were playing in the final tournament.

“It is always nerve-racking going in because it can affect your placement in the bracket. The flip side is that it is such good competition that it prepares you (for the playoffs).”

Sam Houston swept Barbe in straight sets in their lone regular-season meeting, but the Broncos will be without junior Ava Henry, a powerful force at the net, after she suffered an injury in the loss to Archbishop Chapelle. But Fontenot said the team is adapting to make up for the loss of their top middle hitter. Sophomore Aubrey Portie has moved from outside hitter to the middle.

“We played with an altered lineup through the rest of the tournament and did OK,” Fontenot said. “We will have more time to practice to get better at it and create more options.

“We hope (Henry) heals up quickly. That is a big deal for us. Even if she doesn’t get the block, she takes up so much space that she protects a large portion of the floor that we don’t have to defend behind her. It is a good thing that some of these kids have been training at multiple positions all year. That has served us well.”

Area Pairings

Division I

No. 28 Barbe (16-20) at No. 5 Sam Houston (33-7)

No. 29 Sulphur (16-17) at No. 4 Slidell (32-5)

Division II

No. 21 LaGrange (17-9) at No. 12 Lakeshore (14-15)

Division III

No. 24 Jennings (16-11) at No. 9 Iota (26-7)

No. 20 Pearl River (16-10) at No. 13 Westlake (21-13)

No. 27 Vinton (16-10) at No. 6 Vandebilt Catholic (32-9)

No. 23 St. Louis Catholic (15-15) at No. 10 University Lab (26-7)

Division V

No. 31 Hamilton Christian (10-14) at No. 2 Westminster Christian (25-10)