In southeast Louisiana, the mere mention of a hurricane brings back painful memories, especially for the University of New Orleans volleyball team.

The Privateers had their season cancelled in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina blasted New Orleans, and anxiety once again flared when Hurricane Gustav threatened Louisiana last week.

The Privateers had just finished the Auburn War Eagle Invitational in Alabama when a mandatory evacuation was ordered for New Orleans on Aug. 31. Suddenly, the Category 2 hurricane looked to have more influence on the team’s season than the forthcoming SMU Radisson Invitational.

“Emotionally it was so hard,” said New Orleans head coach Jozsef Forman. “Players were crying and wanting to go home, but I told them, ‘You can’t go home. You have to focus on your job.'”

The Privateers waited out the storm in Alabama while it made landfall on Labor Day. Fortunately for the team and the city of New Orleans, Gustav tracked west of the city and left the campus mostly unharmed.

“The city was more prepared for the hurricane this year,” said senior Dobrilla Kovacevic, who was part of the 2005 team.

The Privateers didn’t take time off while Gustav churned past New Orleans. The team practiced at the University of Auburn’s gym Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They hopped on a bus Thursday and drove 13 hours to Dallas.

The resilient Privateers didn’t show many signs of fatigue, as they went 2-1 and finished second in the four-team Radisson tournament. After dropping the opener to eventual champ Stephen F. Austin, the Privateers rebounded Friday to beat the host Mustangs 3-1, then tackled the Montana Grizzlies 3-0 on Saturday.

“These things make us stronger,” said Kovacevic. “We don’t have excuses for losing.”

While there was no excuse for losing, the Privateers also had no excuse to forfeit. Four players on this year’s 11-person roster had to sit out the 2005 season, including Kovacevic.

The players that were involved in the turmoil were granted a redshirt, and the remaining players didn’t want to go through another cancelled season. Kovacevic and junior Lindsey Loyd are tied for the team lead in kills with 87 apiece, and they have combined for 113 digs.

Kovacevic was named to the All-Tournament team and had the game-winning kill against SMU. She celebrated two wins after the game: one over the Mustangs and one over Mother Nature.

“I kept on calling my dad and asked him, ‘What am I going to do if there’s not another season?'” Kovacevic said. “We have a great bunch of girls, and I know we can make a move in conference this year.”