A quarter century ago, Rene Fontenot and Gloria Fontenot helped lead Sam Houston to the state volleyball finals as coach and player.

They will be on the same floor today, at least one more time, at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state volleyball tournament at the Cajundome.

Sam Houston head coach Rene Fontenot, who is retiring after this season, and the Broncos, will play a mere few feet from her former pupil and the Westlake Rams in the quarterfinals.

“I talked to (Gloria) for a while yesterday,” Rene Fontenot said. “I’m so excited for her and that team. That’s a bunch of seniors and she’s really poured into them and knows them well because a lot of them crossover in basketball for her. I told Gloria before I’m really proud of her and I was excited.”

Both teams will play at 2:30 p.m. today. The Broncos (38-6), the No. 2 team in Division II, will play No. 7 Kenner Discovery Health Science (28-7) on Court 1, while Division III No. 9 Westlake (22-11) faces top-ranked Archbishop Hannan (30-6) on Court 2.

It is the first time the two head coaches have led their teams to the state tournament in the same season.

“To be side by side and watch that, I think that’s pretty neat for me,” Gloria Fontenot said. “I get to be there on the side of her and not just in the stands watching.”

Gloria Fontenot, a 2001 graduate of Sam Houston High School, helped lead the Broncos to a runner-up finish in 1999 as a junior.

“She’s a good coach,” Gloria Fontenot said of Rene. “We had a lot of fun times. You remember the memories, the trips, playing with your teammates, your coach, and the confidence she instilled in us.

“She’d push us but was also there in our corner. She took us to tournaments and overnight trips to make sure we saw the best competition throughout the state, which is something I still continue to do.”

Rene Fontenot has won 820 games in 33 seasons and Gloria Fontenot has modeled the Westlake program after what she learned from her time as a Broncos. Gloria Fontenot has 318 wins in 14 seasons.

“Once you play for her, she’ll always be my coach,” Gloria Fontenot said. “She’s a great coach. “She taught me a lot about what I know, especially early in my career when I needed help.

“When I first got into volleyball season, I turned to Rene for help. I asked her things and she would help me out. That was always my first call early in my career. There are a lot of things she taught me, and life lessons about being a better person and character.”

The Rams are coming off an upset of No. 8 Iota in the regional round and face a powerhouse Hannan team that has won three of the last four Division III state championships. The Rams look to their nine seniors to lead them to a quarterfinal win for the first time since 2019.

“We’re on a roll,” Gloria Fontenot said. “We’re playing at our best, but we haven’t played our very best game.

“I’m hoping that that’s (today). We’re capable of it. We’ve got to clean up our errors. We have to just cut that down, cut some of the errors that we can control, the serving errors, the serve receive, some of the defense or hitting errors.”

Sam Houston is playing in the state tournament for the 19th time, while Kenner is a relative newcomer making its second trip.

“It’s a great draw,” Rene Fontenot said. “It’s a little bit easier not having any history with someone.

“The girls feel like they’re prepared and ready and are glad it’s not really somebody that we know because the next one would be. I think we have to be very good at our ball control. I think that our first contact has to stay consistent for us to stay in system and not get forced out of system.”

 

Louisiana High School Athletic Association state volleyball tournament

at Cajundome

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Division I

No. 1 Slidell vs. No. 9 Southside, 12:40 p.m. Court 2

No. 4 Hahnville vs. No. 12 Northshore, 8 p.m., Court 2

No. 3 Mt. Carmel vs. No. 6 Dutchtown, 8 p.m., Court 3

No. 2 Dominican vs. No. 10 Archbishop Chapelle, 8 p.m. Court 3

Division II

No. 1 St. Thomas More vs. No. 9 St. Scholastics, 6:10 p.m. Court 1

No. 4 Lakeshore vs. No. 5 Academy of Our Lady, 2:30 p.m. Court 3

No. 3 Ben Franklin vs. No. 6 Teurlings Catholic, 6:10 p.m. Court 3

No. 2 Sam Houston vs. No. 7 Kenner Discovery Health Science, 2:30 p.m. Court 1

Division III

No. 1 Archbishop Hannan vs. No. 9 Wesltake, 2:30 p.m. Court 2

No. 4 St. Michael the Archangel vs. No. 5 Parkview Baptist, 4:20 p.m. Court 3

No. 3 Vandebilt Catholic vs. No. 6 E.D. White, 10:50 a.m. Court 1

No. 2 Haynes Academy vs. No. 7 University Lab, 12:40 p.m. Court 1

Division IV

No. 1 John Curtis Christian vs. No. 8 Dunham, 9 a.m. Court 1

No. 4 Isidore Newman vs. No. 5 Calvary Baptist, 9 a.m. Court 1

No. 3 Northlake Christian vs. No. 6 Catholic-New Iberia, 4:20 p.m., Court 2

No. 2 Lafayette Christian vs. No. 7 Academy of Sacred Heart-N.O., 10:50 a.m. Court 2

Division V

No. 1 Metairie Park Country Day vs. No. 9 Episcopal of Acadiana, 4:20 p.m. Court 1

No. 4 Crescent City vs. No. 5 Louise McGehee, 12:40 p.m. Court 3

No. 3 Ascension Catholic vs. No. 6 Riverside Academy, 9 a.m., Court 2

No. 2 Westminster Christian vs. No. 7 Central Catholic, 10:50 a.m. Court 3

Semifinals

Friday

Division I

3:30 p.m., Court 1

3:30 p.m., Court 3

Division II

1:40 p.m., Court 1

1:40 p.m., Court 3

Division III

11:50 a.m., Court 1

11:50 a.m., Court 3

Division IV

10 a.m., Court 1

10 a.m., Court 3

Division V

11:50 a.m., Court 2

10 a.m., Court 2

Finals

Saturday

Division V, 9 a.m.

Division IV, 11:30 a.m.

Division III, 2 p.m.

Division II, 4:30 p.m.

Division I, 7 p.m.