St. Thomas More’s volleyball dominance has been well-documented.

Not only have they qualified for the state tournament every year since 2002, but their program has also won 11 state championships - the first in 2010 which was heat coach Jessica Burke’s first year at the helm - during that timeframe.

Although it has been business as usual again this year for the Cougars, who are 37-5 overall and the No. 1-seed in Division II, on the court, this season feels different.

“I agree. We're kind of flying under the radar this year,” said Burke, whose Cougars will face No. 9-seed South Lafourche in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. on Court 1 at the Cajundome. “We haven’t received a ton of attention. So, I think it is a little different this year. It kind of takes the pressure off a little bit because there's just not as much attention on our team.”

The Cougars, who have won five consecutive Division II state titles, are looking to extend their streak to six this year.

And while they know what’s at stake, Burke said they haven’t spent much time talking about it.

“I think there's definitely times where we talk about championship culture, or something like if we want to be champions, then we have to do these little things well,” Burke said. “But we don’t talk about it like ‘We want to be the No. 1 seed. Or we want to make it to the state tournament or that we want to win the last game.’ We don't talk about it like that, but we do definitely address the championship culture and the standards.”

Like the Cougars, the Rebels (28-10) have been a frequent qualifier for the state tournament especially under head coach Terry Hebert, who has led them each of his 16 years at the helm.

“We are extremely excited about playing in the state tournament,” said Hebert, whose No. 5-seeded Rebels will face No. 4 Belle Chasse at 3 p.m. on Court 2. “It’s always nice to get back to the dome.”

While he won’t go as far as saying they are the Rebels are peaking at the right time, Hebert has been pleased with how they’ve competed this season.

“I would like to say yes, but we were playing a little bit better in late September, early October,” Hebert said. “We have had a couple of injuries at some key positions in October that we’re still trying to work through.

"It’s not due to a lack of effort because the girls are working hard. We just had some untimely injuries. So, now we’re just trying to get healthy again and develop the chemistry we had a few months ago.”

Although there’s always an expectation for the Rebels to be in contention for a title, Hebert said there isn’t as much pressure as there has been in the past.

“I think when the championship streak end, the pressure diminished,” Hebert said. “The pressure is always there because people still

associate us with success. So, hopefully we can stand up to that.”

Burke knows all about the pressure to keep the championship streak going, but even though the Cougars are in pursuit of a sixth title, STM doesn’t feel any additional pressure to succeed.

“I feel like no one puts more pressure on me than me,” Burke said. “So, I kind of operate under that as far as pressure on myself to make sure that I keep everybody accountable. The pressure for us to get to that last game is always there for me because I just want that for my team.

"I want that for my girls. People may not be paying as much attention to us this year, but I feel my standard for myself remains the same.”

If the Cougars and Rebels both win their quarterfinal matches, the two teams would meet in the semifinals with a trip to the title game on the line Friday.