The Catholic High volleyball team hosted their inaugural Red and White scrimmage on Tuesday, raising money to purchase special jerseys for cancer awareness in addition to providing funds to a worthy cause in the volleyball community.

Wearing pink jerseys is a common occurrence for volleyball teams during October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but for the Lady Panthers, this year’s jerseys will have a bigger meaning.

On March 6, 2023, coach Celie LeBlanc Ulm, a native of Delcambre and a longtime volleyball coach in South Louisiana, passed away from cancer at 34. Ulm, who was serving as head coach at Ascension Episcopal after stints at North Vermilion and Acadiana High, was a large presence in the local volleyball community and in the Teche Area.

The Lega-C Scholarship was created in her memory with a mission to award yearly scholarships to 12th-grade volleyball players in the Acadiana area. The scholarship is awarded to players who show leadership on the court and in life and have a strong, faith-based mentality.

In recognition of that mission, the Lady Panthers will play in lavender-colored jerseys instead of the traditional pink ones and will donate funds to the Lega-C foundation.

To accomplish this, head coach Gary Westcott came up with a fundraising scrimmage where CHS fans could get an early look at the team before the season officially begins and donate funds for a worthy cause.

Despite the somber circumstances surrounding the scrimmage, none of the Lady Panthers were ready to take it easy against their teammates-turned-opponents on Tuesday night. A competitive game was held between the two teams, with trash talk and points going both ways before the Red team was eventually able to secure the win.

Westcott said he was happy to see the girls remain competitive with one another ahead of their season opener against Hanson Memorial on Aug. 29.

“They’re still fighting for their positions right now,” he explained. “I have two positions still open and I got to see some competition tonight. I’ve had a couple of players out for the last three or four weeks and I got to see some of them come back today and compete. I liked the competition, they were talking a lot of smack back and forth all week.”

Catholic High will take part in the Teurlings Jamboree on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 4:30 p.m.