Fontainebleau’s Lady Bulldogs proved to be the class of District 5-I Tuesday, sweeping the second place Mandeville Lady Skippers, 25-23, 25-13, 25-22 at the Kennel. FHS (28-5) moved its unbeaten streak to 11-0 in district play as the Lady Bulldogs, heading into yesterday’s road action against Slidell.

Mandeville (18-8) remained in second position with a 9-2 district slate, going into yesterday’s home match with Hammond.

Game one was tightly contested with seven ties. With the game tied 3-3, MHS’ Melanie Gaines served two points. Lindsey Barron answered for the Lady Bulldogs with a kill. Holding a two-point lead at 6-4, Mandeville’s Kelsey Sparks ran off four straight points for a 10-4 margin, but the Lady Skippers were unable to hold off the onrushing Lady Bulldogs. Following a net serve, Barron stepped up to drill three straight points to cut the lead to 10-8. Trailing 16-13, Fontainebleau’s Amanda Schneck downed a kill, and then clicked on four consecutive serves to regain the lead at 18-16. FHS freshman Sarah Ulm came up big during the run with two blocks helping to shut down the MHS hitting attack. Mandeville’s Kana Koenig spanked a kill from the back row to knot game one at 19-19. The teams traded points with the final tie coming at 22-22 on a kill by MHS’ Nichole Freeman.

FHS'€™ Jessica Guttierrez powers a kill attempt with Mandeville'€™s Kelsey Sparks positioned for the block in Tuesday'€™s district match at Fontainebleau. (Staff Photo by Mike Pervel)

FHS’ Schneck answered with a kill to regain serve at 23-22. Caitlyn Auxilien served a point, scoring on an unforced error to give the Lady Bulldogs a two-point advantage. Freeman came up with another Lady Skippers’ kill to trim the lead to 24-23. FHS junior Jessica Guttierrez blasted the game-winning kill on a nice set by Michelle Cabeceiras to finish off game one 25-23.

FHS coach Danny Tullis said he was a little worried going into the match following a sub par performance in the Newman Tournament over the weekend in which the Lady Bulldogs finished 3-3.

“I felt we were a little out of sorts in game one.

Mandeville kept us on our heels in game one. They were really taking it to us. They were up four and five at times. I was very proud that our players could dig in, and get that first game. That was a very important game,” Tullis said.

Mandeville coach Christy Sanantonio summed up her team’s performance this way.

“Brilliant at times, and terrible at times, all in the same match. Kudos to Fontainebleau, they played a solid all around match,” Sanantonio said.

Game two was tied at 3-3 when MHS’ Summer Burglass hit on three straight points. Mandeville held a 10-7 advantage when Barron regained serve with a kill.

Guttierrez rattled off seven straight, including three aces to build a five-point lead at 15-10. The run seemed to spark the Lady Bulldogs behind an enthusiastic home crowd led by the FHS drum line, known as the “Net Nasties.”

Guttierrez described the victory as huge.

“We’ve worked really hard over the past couple years to get to this level. It’s amazing. I think we were able to pick up our energy level when we had to. Our bench did a great job, and our fans were tremendous. Our drum line helped us a lot,” Guttierrez said.

Leading 16-11, Cabeceiras tallied two points, including an ace and a dink of her own for a seven-point margin. Mandeville tallied a point on a Sparks’ kill, but Barron regained the advantage, reeling off five consecutive points. Haley Bonneval, Schneck and Taylor Anderson recorded kills. Cabeceiras and Anderson found holes in the MHS defense with two consecutive dinks to push out to a 24-12 lead. MHS could only manage one more point on an unforced error before Bonneval put down a kill to close out game two 25-13.

FHS’ Schneck delivered three straight points to open game three.

Schneck, a senior, said she enjoys serving first in games.

“It’s a lot of pressure, knowing that I have to get it in. I feel like I have the responsibility of setting the tone of the game,” Schneck said.

Schneck also said she likes playing at home because the gym is energized with supportive fans. “They help pump us up,” Schneck added.

FHS coach Danny Tullis praised the play of Schneck.

“When Amanda is really focused, and is playing well it really is a big lift for our team,” Tullis said.

With MHS behind 15-11 in game three, Burglass hit for two points to slice the lead to just two. Following a Freeman kill, Mandeville freshman Katie Lindelow, cranked up four straight points to give the Lady Skippers an 18-16 lead.

FHS’ Anderson ripped a kill and followed that up with an ace to tie the game at 18-18.

The clubs traded points during the next four possessions to knot the game at 20-20. Later, Bonneval recorded a block for a 24-22 advantage. Barron served the final point finished off by a Schneck block to put game three away.

Barron, FHS’ talented outside hitter, delivered another consistent performance with a match-high 11 kills. Barron also tied for a team-high 12 digs along with Auxilien. Schneck finished with eight digs, seven kills and two aces. Cabeceiras netted 14 assists, while Barney added nine. Ulm contributed three blocked shots. Guttierrez chipped in with eight digs, five aces and three blocks.

MHS’ Elizabeth Rinaudo topped the Lady Skippers with 11 assists and 11 digs. Lindelow pulled up 18 digs with eight kills and two blocks doing her best to keep Mandeville in the match. Freeman tallied 10 kills, while Sparks added six for a balanced performance at the net. Burglass added 11 assists for the Lady Skippers.