Fontainebleau’s Lady Bulldogs continued it’s early district dominance, sweeping the Slidell Lady Tigers Tuesday at the Kennel, 25-11, 25-20, 25-15. FHS (15-2) remained unblemished in District 5-I play with a 5-0 mark. Slidell (10-9) slipped to 2-3 in district action, heading into Wednesday’s action.

FHS controlled the tempo early in each of the three games with consistent serving and strong play at the net.

Fontainebleau sophomore Emily Sulzer, who was inserted into the Lady Bulldogs’ lineup to give outstanding senior hitter Lindsey Barron some time off, came up big in the match. With FHS trailing 4-3, Sulzer knocked down a kill to tie the game and regain serve. She ran off five straight points to take a 9-4 lead. Sophomore Caitlyn Auxilien joined the Lady Dawgs’ scoring parade, blasting three straight for a 13-5 margin. Junior Jessica Guttierrez, who finished with a match-high 11 kills, pounded a kill and a block during the run. Slidell freshman Quinci Hayward (6-4) fashioned one of her four kills in the match to stop the run. Guttierrez sparked play at the net later in game one, recording three additional kills. With FHS leading 19-10, Sulzer put away three consecutive serves. She finished with eight service points in game one. Haley Bonneval, who led FHS with four match blocks, put together two blocks and a kill, down the stretch to put game one away, 25-11.

Fontainebleau junior Jessica Guttierrez pounds a kill over the block attempt of Slidell'€™s Quinci Hayward in Tuesday district matched played at FHS. (Staff Photo by Mike Pervel)

Sulzer said she was excited about getting so much playing time with the varsity, but was a little nervous at first. “I think the match went really well. I was nervous going in because I don’t play a whole lot of varsity,” Sulzer said.

“I felt like I had to step up my play. Coach Tullis puts a lot of emphasis on our serving. He doesn’t want anything in the net.”

Sulzer had a strong serving match, tallying 16 points. Sulzer said she was amazed at how well the team is playing. “I think it is absolutely wonderful just how good we are playing. I think we can far with this team this year. We have so many good players on the bench that coach Danny can put in. If someone isn’t passing well or if someone can’t seem to get the ball over, he can just instantly put someone in off the bench,” Sulzer added.

Coach Tullis said he wanted to rest Barron, his outstanding hitter. “We just wanted to rest her legs a little bit,” Tullis said. “We’ll probably try to rest Amanda Schneck some in our next match. You never know at what stage those other girls are really going to have to contribute. At state you play three or four matches in a row, you don’t what Lindsey (Barron) or any other player to have to take 60 swings three days in a row.”

Tullis said he wants to be a well-balanced team. “I’ve been coaching for a long time. We never take anybody for granted. We don’t look past any team,” Tullis added.

Tullis said his club has to play every match with energy. He complimented his setters saying they have more depth than ever before in that position.

In game two, Fontainebleau used the early strong serving of Guttierrez and Sulzer to build a 7-3 margin. Both players had two service points each. FHS sophomore Taylor Anderson netted a kill for a 10-4 lead. Anderson strung together three service points to push to a 13-4 advantage. Trailing 13-6, Slidell senior Allison Dolan gave the Lady Tigers some momentum stringing together three straight points, including an ace. Guttierrez came through with a timely dink at the net to make it 14-9. FHS senior Amanda Schneck, who ended up with seven kills and three aces, added two points before a net serve. Slidell’s Kaitlyn Crippin produced a kill to cut the lead to 17-11. Courtney Courtney ran off three straight points for the Lady Tigers on a block by Hannah Gambrell and two unforced errors to trim the lead to 17-14.

Fontainebleau Michelle Cabeceiras, who led the attack with 22 assists, served two straight points to help keep Slidell at bay. Slidell’s Whitney Campbell managed two points, but FHS still held a 20-17 lead. Following a long serve, FHS’s Sulzer tallied three more points for a 24-17 advantage. The Lady Tigers’ Crippin served two points, including an ace, but Fontainebleau’s Schneck produced a kill to close out game two, 25-20.

Schneck got FHS underway in game three with three consecutive points. After Slidell cut the lead to 3-2 Sulzer pummeled a kill. Guttierrez followed with two points for a 6-2 lead. Gambrell notched a kill, but Slidell failed to come up with any consistency at the net. Fontainebleau held an 11-6 cushion when Anderson clicked for two points. Holding a commanding 19-12 lead, Sulzer put down three serves and Brittany Dupaquier was subbed in, and she added a point to push the Lady Bulldogs to a 23-12 advantage. Slidell’s Crippin served for a point, and Hayward managed a kill, but it was too little too late. Fontainebleau’s Schneck put away a kill to finish off game three, 25-15.

Slidell coach Nancy Plaisance said she was disappointed with the outcome.

“We played in a tournament over the weekend. They didn’t have teams as good as Fontainebleau, but at the same time I thought we started playing together more as a team. It looked like all of that fell apart in this match,” Plaisance said.

“We’re 19 games into the season, and there is no excuse. I thought we played scared. You can’t do that. You have to believe that you have a shot to win or you are not going to win games,” Plaisance added.