The 2001 season was expected to be the year that LSU made its return to the national volleyball stage after an extended absence. With its entire starting lineup returning intact, the Fighting Tigers believed that it would be their year to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1992.
Instead, despite a 16-11 overall record and a 10-5 mark in the Southeastern Conference that was LSU’s best since 1992, the Tigers were left at home for the ninth straight year thanks to inconsistency and key losses in winnable matches, including a first-round ouster by Alabama in the SEC Tournament.
The disappointment has only served to strengthen the Tigers’ resolve, and coach Fran Flory is confident that 2002 will be the year LSU returns to the big dance.
“I feel very sure that we will be there this year,” Flory said. “I felt we were good enough last year, but we gave away some matches we should have won, and we were certainly capable, because we beat some teams that were in the NCAAs, and that’s frustrating.”
The best hopes for the Tigers break through to the next level rest with a five-member senior class, led by second team All-SEC returnees from 2001 in outside hitter Jennifer Hampton and middle blocker Lauren Cuyler.
Cuyler, one of Louisiana’s most decorated high school players in her prep days at Slidell High, enters her fifth year with a degree in marketing in hand after being named LSU’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2001-02.
Cuyler battled back from shoulder surgery and made a successful transition from outside hitter to the middle and finished second in the SEC in blocks and fourth in the league in hitting percentage last year.
“Lauren is always solid and will always be the spirit of our team because she has an unbelievable ability to raise the level of play of everyone around her,” Flory said. “She has persevered through shoulder injuries that most people would have given up after. She’s not going to let the last match of her last year be a loss to a team we shouldn’t lose to.”
Hampton, whose brother Jeff played baseball at LSU in the mid-1990s, has been a starter for the Tigers since setting foot on campus in 1999, including a career-high 24 kills against national power Stanford in her fifth career match. The Houston native had double-figure kills in 14 matches in 2001 and will go over the 1,000 mark in career kills early this season.
“Jennifer has taken another step up, and I’m anxious to get her on the court to see what she can do,” Flory said. “She has done a great job in the gym and has prepared better than she has in any previous year.”
The third returning senior starter is setter Katie Kubena, another member of the Tigers’ Houston pipeline. A two-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Kubena
The biggest hole to fill in the LSU lineup is that of graduated middle blocker Megan Davis, a two-time first team All-SEC selection.
Expected to fill Davis’ shoes is sophomore Regan Hood, who Flory notes is different in style from Davis but has just as much potential.
“Everyone knew what Megan was going to do, but she was such a great player that nobody could stop her,” Flory said. “Megan was more a finesse player, while Regan is the most physical middle blocker we’ve had at LSU for quite some time. Regan has worked real hard to gain a level that will be an all-conference type level.”
The most improved player on the Tigers might be sophomore outside hitter Kyra Lancon, who experienced an up-and-down freshman season after redshirting in 2000. Lancon and Hampton were teammates at Houston’s Clear Lake High.
“We had to hold Kyra out of the summer because of a leg injury, and we’re real anxious because she has improved so much over the last 12 months,” Flory said. “Through the preseason and the summer, she’s settled her consistency issues, and she will be a viable offensive force for us.”
The third sophomore who will see significant playing time is Beth Cowley, who will back up Kubena at setter. The left-hander from Louisville will compliment Kubena to give the Tigers a solid 1-2 punch at setter.
Flory is also expecting great things out of two freshmen from Texas, middle blockers Megan Heintz and Cara Causey.
“I think that Megan and Cara could very well play their way into the starting lineup,” Flory said. “Cara will compliment Hood and Cuyler with some different shots, and Megan is probably the smartest middle for a freshman that we’ve had.”
For the second consecutive year, college volleyball is undergoing a major rules change. This year, the NCAA has adopted the international libero rule. The libero is a player who can play on the back row without counting against a team’s limit of 15 substitutions per game. The libero will wear a different color jersey than her teammates and will not be allowed to serve.
Likely to fill the libero role is senior Jenny Greco. Greco, who is recovering from a broken wrist she suffered in the summer, has been one of the Tigers’ best servers the past two seasons, including 36 service aces in that span.
Backing Greco up will be sophomore Rachel Pittman, Cuyler’s former high school teammate at Slidell, who played well in limited action as a freshman.
Last year’s major rules change, which allowed rally scoring rather than serve-only scoring, was a change that Flory was hesitant about prior to 2001 but now sees the benefits of.
“I like the fact that the general public can understand that when anyone terminates play, there’s a point awarded,” Flory said. “The people of this country want scoring rather than a deadlocked soccer match.”
One thing that has been as constant as death and taxes has been the dominance of Florida in conference play. The Gators have won 11 consecutive conference championships and have lost a total of three matches to SEC teams since 1991. However, Flory thinks the league race this year is wide open.
“I think South Carolina has a tremendous chance to unseat Florida, and I certainly like our physical ability to match up with them,” Flory said. “Florida is the measuring stick that everyone shoots for, and they should be because they’ve been the champions for so long. Alabama won the Western Division championship last year, ending Arkansas’ seven-year reign, and Flory expects the race for the West to be as wide open as the one in football will be.
“I’m anxious to play Alabama because I like our chances, even though they lost fewer significant players out of their lineup,” Flory said. “Our division is definitely up for grabs.”
The Tigers are on the road for three of the first four weeks of the season before opening the SEC schedule at home on September 27 against Tennessee. LSU will also play one of the first collegiate volleyball matches in the New Orleans Arena, the site of the NCAA Final Four, on October 1 against UNO.
Flory hopes the Final Four is the impetus to help promote volleyball throughout Louisiana.
“We want the Final Four to be a great experience, and playing in the New Orleans Arena will be a great experience,” Flory said. “I think we need to show the people of Louisiana how great this sport is and how fast-paced and exciting it is. We’re anxious to have it here and I know New Orleans will be a great host.”
Flory, a former All-American at Texas who was an assistant coach on the Tigers’ Final Four teams of 1990 and 1991, enters her fifth season at the LSU helm with a special feeling about this year’s team.
“There’s nothing that you can articulate to say that this is special, but you just walk in the group and there’s a feeling that this group will reach their goals,” Flory said. “We have everything it takes. This team understands my system, they’re very loyal and very dedicated. We’re way ahead of where we’ve been going into a season.”