EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part 3 of a 12-part volleyball series recapping the outstanding 2005 season, previewing the 2006 season, giving fans basic volleyball rules, terminology and scoring basics leading up to the season-opening Tiger Invitational tournament in the Maravich Center on Aug. 25-26, featuring the “Pack Pete’s Seats” match against No. 2 Penn State at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26.
BATON ROUGE — Despite losing 2005 honorable mention All-American Ivana Kuzmic to graduation, the middle blocker position should remain a solid strength for the Tigers in 2006.
With the return of Melody Clark (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who ranked sixth in the SEC in blocks in conference games, and the addition of redshirt freshman Lauren DeGirolamo (Belleville, Ill.) and true freshman Brittnee Cooper (Houston, Texas), the middle will become more offensive minded this season.
“Obviously we have a void in the middle after losing an All-American in Ivana,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “Those are certainly big shoes to fill and her attributes were certainly numerous. However, Lauren had a tremendous spring and created an opportunity through her athleticism, as a different type of athlete than Ivana, and allows us to change our offense a little bit and become more offensive minded in the middle.
“Lauren’s athleticism and attributes also allow us to match Melody, so it’s going to be an easier system to set and an easier system to run. It allows us to be a little more versatile in the number of zones we can attack with our middles.
Having solidified her role in the middle last season after seeing time in both the middle and on the right side over the last two years, Clark has been a quiet contributor for the Tigers throughout her career. The senior have averaged almost a block a game over the past three seasons, with two kills per game and a .233 hitting percentage.
“Mel has been a stabilizing force and probably one of the most important players in our program in her tenure here,” said Flory. “The unsung hero just about every year but she hasn’t ever really gotten a lot of credit other than from our staff, and we certainly know her value and we look for her to have a tremendous senior year.”
A talented two-sport standout, Cooper joins the LSU squad after leading the Houston Juniors 16 Nationals club team to a fifth-place finish in the Junior Olympics in 2004.
“Brittnee is going to come in and be given the opportunity to work into a position,” said Flory. “She will be a physical presence and shore up the front row defensively with her blocking, range and ability to reach over the net. She will eventually be the type of imposing blocker that Ivana was but she will need a little time to work into the speed and tempo of our offense, but she is certainly capable with her abilities.”
The team will open the 2006 season on Aug. 25 against Rice in the Maravich Center in the Tiger Invitational at 7 p.m. The Tigers will then take on Nicholls State on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. before closing out the two-day tournament against No. 2 Penn State at 7 p.m.
Admission to the tournament is free with an “Advocate” ticket. Those tickets are available through the LSU Promotions Department by calling (225) 578-8960. In addition, fans are encouraged to wear white to the Penn State match, and “Walk on the Wild Side” t-shirts will be given away in an attempt to “Pack Pete’s Seats” and break the LSU volleyball attendance record.