Laurie Simon

Club Director & Owner

Laurie Simon is in her 10th season as the Head Volleyball Coach at Breaux Bridge High School.  Her Lady Tigers have captured a District Championship in 2013, 2014, 2015, & 2016.  Simon's teams have 1 state Semi-Final appearence, numerous quarterfinal, regional, and bi-regional championships, and 7 District Titles.  She has also been named District Coach of the year 7 times.  Simon, a graduate of Breaux Bridge High School, excelled in volleyball, basketball, and softball.  She was an all-district selection in each of her four years in all three sports (12 All-District selections in high school).  Simon was District MVP and 1st Team All-Acadiana as a Setter/Outside Hitter.  In basketball, Simon was District MVP, 1st team All-Acadiana, and 1st team All-State.  It is basketball that she decided to play in college.  Simon was a shooting guard for the University of Mobile from 1999-2003.  While attending UM, Simon set numerous records.  At the University of Mobile, Simon earned NAIA Academic All-American awards from 2001-2003.  She graduated from the University of Mobile, as a summa cum laude (3.95 GPA), with a double major in History and Health and Physical Exercise Science.  

Laurie started Cajun Elite in 2008 as a means to improve the skill level of volleyball players in the Lafayette area. Simon is always looking to improve each and every athlete who participates in Cajun Elite Volleyball club.  As a Club Director, it is important to her that all athletes learn and grow through their participation in the sport of volleyball.  Simon and her staff are constantly evaluating and implementing training programs that will allow Cajun Elite's athletes to reach their maximum potential as a volleyball player.   

Ben Kaszeta

Director of Player Development/Recruiting Coordinator

Ben Kaszeta (pronounced kuh-zet-uh), a veteran with nearly two decades of coaching experience, came to Louisiana to join the Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball staff as associate head coach in March 2017.  Ben has been involved in coaching volleyball at the collegiate level since 2007 and at all levels since 1998.   Kaszeta has served for 8 years as an NCAA Div. I Assistant Coach,  5 years as a Div I Head Coach, and 5 years as a JUCO head coach. 
  
Joining the Ragin’ Cajuns coaching staff marked a return to the state of Louisiana for Kaszeta. He was an assistant coach at McNeese in 2013 under Terry Gamble, then moved on to Jacksonville State with Gamble in 2014 prior to accepting the job at Minot State in 2015.
 
The Rochester, Mich., native and Eastern Michigan graduate began his collegiate coaching career as head coach at Mott (Mich.) Community College from 2007 through 2009 – the first of three collegiate head coach jobs he’s held.
 
After a one-year stay as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater (EMU) in 2009, where the Eagles experienced a record turnaround campaign, Kaszeta was the head coach at Lake Superior State for three seasons from 2010-12. He had three All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference players and eight GLIAC All-Academic players.
 
Kaszeta then transitioned to the NCAA Division I level and served as recruiting coordinator at McNeese and Jacksonville State. He helped the Cowgirls to a 17-16 record which represented a 10-win improvement from the previous season and a year later helped guide the Gamecocks to an 18-16 record increasing their win total by five.
 
Prior to his collegiate coaching, Kaszeta served as the junior varsity coach at Adams High School from 2000-2002 as well as the varsity head coach and camp director from 2002-2007. 
 
Kasezta’s volleyball journey began at the club level when he founded Oxford Heat AAU Volleyball in 1998. He served as volleyball coach for the program from 1998-2005.  His club experience also includes the USA Volleyball Lakeshore Region High Performance team (2009-12), Huron Valley (2008-11) and Michigan Elite (2004-08).
 Kaszeta won an AAU state championship with Michigan Elite’s 16U National Team and served as the head coach of the Huron Valley 17U National Team for four years. He also assisted with the Lakeshore Region Youth Select Team, which qualified for the USA Volleyball High Performance Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He served as the program's head coach in 2012 and led the team to a seventh place finish at the USAV HPC in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
Ben's love for club volleyball is evident in his journey of starting the following volleyball clubs: Oxford heat volleyball club in Oxford, MS, LIttle lakers volleyball club in Salute St. Marie, MI, Minot Juniors volleyball club in North Dakota, Little Game Cocks, Jacksonville Juniors, and Little Cowgirls in Lake Charles, LA. 

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He has helped over 45 athletes play in the NCAA, and 21 athletes to the NAIA.  He has coached 6 JUCO all Americans and 3 NCAA All Americans. 

Terry Hebert

Cajun Elite Sand Volleyball Director

During 2021, Terry Hebert will begin his seventh season as the Sand Club Director.   As the club director of Cajun Elite Sand Volleyball, Hebert will oversee the overall direction of club and serves as the club’s primary contact person.   His main job is to develop and oversee a sand volleyball program within Cajun Elite Volleyball.  Hebert will implement strategies to allow for further development of youth within the sport of volleyball and to provide an opportunity to experience and play a new style of volleyball.  Terry will oversee and manage our beach coaches. Terry Hebert is currently serving as the head coach at Teurlings Catholic High School,  a position he has held since the 2009 volleyball season.  Under Terry's leadership, the Rebels have won seven Division III State Championships in a row [2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019]. While at TCH, Hebert has led his team to numerous District Championships, numerous regional playoff appearances and numerous Quarterfinal play-off appearances.  Terry was named the District 3A Coach of the Year during the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, & 2015 seasons.  He was also named the LVCA Division III State Coach of the Year in both 2013 & 2014.  During the 2013, season Hebert was named the All-Acadiana Coach of the Year.  For his accomplishments during the 2013 season, Terry was a National Federation of High School Sports National Coach of the year nominee & in 2014 he was named the National Federation of High Schools State Coach of the year.  Before becoming a head coach at Teurlings, Terry served as an assistant for the Lady Rebels.  During his tenure as an assistant coach, the Lady Rebels program was District Runner Ups in both 2005 & 2006.  In 2007, they were District Champions and State Semi-Finalists.  Terry also served as an Assistant Coach for Episcopal School of Acadiana from 2000 to 2003.  While with the Falcons, Hebert won 3 State Championships [2000, 2001, & 2002], as well as State Runner Up in 2003.  Before joining the high school ranks, Terry served as an assistant coach for two seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette [1999 & 2000].   He also served as a Club Director for Southern Spikers Select for 7 years [2001-2008].  His prior experience at running a club, his extensive knowledge, and his dedication to the sport of volleyball will help propel our sand volleyball program to the forefront of our area, our state and our region.  

Renee Fontenot

Lake Charles Club Director

Head Volleyball Coach at Sam Houston since 1991, Aquatics Director for Ward 3 in Lake Charles, Assistant Coach at Cajun Elite

After a successful high school career in Berwick La, I was a scholarship athlete and starter at McNeese State University from 1987-1990, where I earned offensive and all-conference awards.   During the fall of 1991 when student teaching, I was given the volleyball program at Sam Houston, where I have spent the following 24 years as the Head Volleyball Coach.  We have been district champions for 24 of my 25 seasons at Sam Houston.  In my career, we have been state runner ups twice, placed in the state semifinals 6 years, state quarterfinals 9 times and regional playoffs 7 years.  I have been involved with various club programs, and for a short time was a club director.  Because of the demands of coaching, being married to a teacher and coach, and raising our three children, I have scaled back my commitments outside of school ball.  She has currently been a part of Cajun Elite Volleyball's coaching staff since 2016.

Michelle Cormier

Club Manager

Cormier begins her 7th season as the Manager for Cajun Elite volleyball club. Michelle's primary job is to conduct the day to day operations of the club.  Cormier will plan, organize, direct, and evaluate our current operations in order to develop and implement new organizational strategies to help our organization reach its goals.  She coordinates schedules and all travel.  She is also in charge of outfitting our athletes and invoicing and accounting.  ​Michelle served as a middle school volleyball and softball coach for the past 25 years.  She was a middle school AD, her knowledge of youth sports, her organization and efficiency, and her dedication will ultimately propel Cajun Elite to achieve the vision that we have established as a club. Cormier's passion and dedication to the development of our youth and youth sports organizations will prove beneficial to the continued success of Cajun Elite Volleyball Club.