When the Barbe High volleyball team starts the season, it will end one the longest road trips in program history, and likely in Southwest Louisiana history.

When the Bucs host Iowa on Tuesday, they will play their first home match in their own facility since Oct. 24, 2019, ending a string of 1,776 days. The long time away from home was caused by the destruction that Hurricane Laura wrought on their facilities and the area when it made landfall on Aug. 27, 2020.

“Now this year, we will be able to have our home games in our normal volleyball gym,” head coach Katie Franks said. “It is fully restored.

“There is no sunlight peaking through the upstairs. We did have a pigeon in our office the other day, and we are not sure how it got there. We have a new design for our volleyball court. It looks like a volleyball gym. It is nice.”

In the last four seasons the Bucs have played games at various are gyms, but mostly at its main feeder school, S.J. Welsh Middle School. They managed to get one match on campus last season when the main basketball gym reopened on Oct. 17, a three-set win over New Iberia.

Franks is looking forward to a real home-court advantage and the return of their tournament on Sept. 13-14.

“(We are) back to some normalcy,” she said. “We don’t have to travel to another school for a home game.

“I felt like the last four years, we never had home-court advantage. We were still practicing at Barbe. We could practice in it, but not set up a game net. We knew where the floor buckled and where we could and couldn’t go. Being able to practice in the gym that you are going to play in gives us an advantage for our home court now. We are bringing back our tournament and will be able to run four courts is going to be huge.”

The Bucs have six returning starters from last season when they lost to Sam Houston in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Three of those are seniors Kennedi Burks (outside hitter), Ann Kat Barrett (libero) and Morgan David (setter).

“This seniors group is doing a really good job of leading,” Franks said. “We are returning mostly everybody.

“We have a versatile team. We have kids that can play multiple positions, which I think will help us down the road.”

Barrett is a four-year starter and earned first-team all-district honors last year, while David and Burks, a second-team all-district player, have started for three and two years, respectively.

“(Burks) has definitely stepped up as a leader and being able to put the ball away,” Franks said. “She is just a good all-around player. She has (college) offers in track right now, but she has definitely stepped up on the volleyball court and helped this team grow.

“(Barrett) has held down the defense for us the last four years. She brings energy to this team and is the captain of our defense this year. (David) is a hard worker. She leads by example.”

Also returning is a trio of juniors in setter Madilyn Areno, and middle hitters Danyele Wallace and Claire McMorris.

They have a pair of 6-footers upfront with Wallace and sophomore right-side hitter Taylor Bennett, plus 5-11 junior Kaci Fulton on the right side. Add in McMorris and Burks and Franks sees a big advantage to build on this season.

“We have more height than we have in the past,” she said. “Having six hitters and a big block at the net for all six rotations will help us.”

Others who could see action this year include junior outside hitter Madison Sandsted, defensive specialist sophomore Jane Cassanova and junior right-side hitter Audrey Goff.