BATON ROUGE — After leading the LSU volleyball team to a pair of three-game sweeps over the weekend, seniors Daniela Romero and Melody Clark and junior Vanessa Freeman were named to the SEC/Big East Challenge all-tournament team, it was announced late Saturday night.
Romero, the Tigers’ fourth-year setter, led LSU to an amazing and tournament-best.355 hitting percentage in wins over St. John’s and Marquette. The Arlington, Texas, native also helped the Tigers lead the tournament with 17.83 kills per game and 17.00 assists per game. Individually, she posted a tournament-best 14.67 assists per game, while also leading the tournament with 0.67 service aces per game.
One of LSU’s two middle blockers, Clark led the team with 3.67 kills per game, which ranked third in the tournament. In addition, she ranked sixth in the tournament with 1.33 blocks per game and was fifth in hitting percentage at .362.
Playing on the right side, Freeman led the tournament with a .500 hitting percentage, recording 13 kills with only three errors on 20 attempts. In addition, she ranked seventh in the tournament in blocks per game at 1.00.
The NCAA Tournament selection show will be broadcast live on ESPNews on Sunday between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Tigers will gather to watch the selection show at Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar. The Tigers are looking for back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since making four straight from 1989 to 1992.
SEC/Big East Challenge All-Tournament Team
Marcie Hampton – Florida (MVP)
Melody Clark – LSU
Vanessa Freeman – LSU
Hui Ping Huang – St. John’s
Angie McGinnis – Florida
Daniela Romero – LSU
Kimberly Todd – Marquette