WINNING SEASONS

Chalmette High School volleyball coach Kelli Plaiscia joined an elite group of Louisiana volleyball coaches in September when she won her 500th match.

"It's wonderful to win, but I never thought about winning 500 matches when I started as a coach," said Plaiscia, 45. "I grew up in St. Bernard and had some wonderful coaches and experiences in sports. And for me, coaching has been about coming home to St. Bernard and working with young people and watching them grow as young ladies as well as volleyball players."

Plaiscia got her 500th win Sept. 27 in a match against Episcopal School at the Redemptorist Tournament in Baton Rouge.

Plaiscia is in her 20th season as the Owls volleyball coach, and she has been Chalmette High School's only volleyball coach since the school became co-educational in 1988.

Under Plaiscia's leadership, Chalmette High School's volleyball teams have played in 19 state tournaments, where they made it to the championship game twice in the early 1990s.

A multisport star when she attended Andrew Jackson High School, Plaiscia played volleyball, basketball, and ran cross country and track. She earned a volleyball scholarship to the University of New Orleans.

"In school, I always loved physical education classes," Plaiscia said. "My P.E. teachers and coaches were always my favorite teachers."

It only seemed natural then that Plaiscia would pursue a career in coaching, but it wasn't a decision she made immediately.

"When I got to UNO, I didn't know what I wanted to do," Plaiscia said. "I was just excited to get a scholarship to play volleyball. In my freshman year, my parents talked with me and said that since I loved sports so much coaching would be a good career choice."

It's a decision Plaiscia said she has never regretted.

She began her coaching career at P.G.T. Beauregard High School, where she served as the head basketball coach and assistant volleyball coach for a year and half before moving to Chalmette High School when it became co-ed....