by Jesse Delerno
LSU Sports Information
Standing only 5-foot-3, LSU volleyball senior Michelle Hensgens is often overshadowed by the likes of much taller teammates Brittnee Cooper and Lauren DeGirolamo. Hensgens doesn’t litter the box scores with game-changing blocks like Cooper or monstrous kills like DeGirolamo, but the defensive specialist continues to play a huge role for a volleyball program enjoying its best four-year run in head coach Fran Flory‘s ten-year tenure at LSU.
With key digs and clutch serves, Hensgens helped the program win back-to-back SEC West titles and gain back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006. In a dramatic victory against Notre Dame on Oct. 23, the lone senior on the team recorded the 500th dig of her career. The personal milestone is a testament to how far this former walk-on has come.
Hensgens grew up in Morgan City, La., where she spent some of her early years showing cattle with her two brothers on her dad’s cattle ranch.
“My dad owns a cattle farm,” Hensgens said. “We all showed cattle and participated in the 4-H Club. My younger brother still does it to this day.”
She stopped showing cattle in her early teens and began focusing more on athletics. At Central Catholic High School, Hensgens played not only volleyball, but she also lettered multiple times in basketball and softball. In volleyball, however, she led the Eagles to the school’s first state title in 2003 and earned all-state honors as a senior.
In addition to her athletic accolades, she also starred in the classroom. She graduated as the class valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was president of the Student Council. Despite being such a well-rounded student-athlete, Hensgens chose to stay close to her family and try to walk on to the LSU volleyball team instead of looking at other schools.
“My family is really important to me,” Hensgens said. “They gave up a lot for me, and it was a way to give back to them.”
In 2004, Hensgens made the team as a walk-on and was part of a freshmen class consisting of six players. She impacted the team immediately as a true freshman and recorded 166 digs in 82 games, including her career high of 22 digs against Houston.
Her sophomore season, however, began on a drastically different note with the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center was transformed into a medical triage unit, with the volleyball locker room being used by medical personnel, which forced the team to play its first 17 games on the road.
Despite the wear and tear of playing on the road week in and week out, the Tigers jumped out to a 13-4 record and finished 21-8, their best season in 13 years. Hensgens relishes this time span as the most memorable of her career.
“It was really crazy, but we kind of made the most of it,” Hensgens said. “We really came together as a team. We even carried around a hurricane evacuation sign as a symbol for us.”
The team managed to improve its record even further in Hensgens’ junior season, going 26-6. However, with a tough draw in the NCAA Tournament first round, the Tigers failed to advance to the second round for a second straight year.
On the other hand, Hensgens remained a steady contributor recording 157 digs, 15 service aces, and 27 assists. Flory rewarded Hensgens’ hard work and solid play with a full scholarship going into her senior season. Flory refers to her senior as “the consummate student-athlete” and “a spark” who ignites the team defensively in clutch situations.
Hensgens credits Flory for much of her success on the court and really values the relationship she has with her coach.
“Coach Fran is a great person,” Hensgens stated. “Unlike other college coaches, she really cares about us as people. She even rescheduled some practices around my schedule.”
Hensgens continues to provide valuable leadership, key defense, and consistent serving despite the fact that she is five inches shorter than the next shortest player on the team. Nonetheless, her teammates still take advantage of her height.
“I’m still everyone’s arm rest!” Hensgens joked.
So far, the Tigers are 18-6 with roughly three weeks remaining in the regular season. Hensgens is having another solid season with 190 digs and 18 service aces in 95 games played. Additionally, with a 3.4 GPA in Kinesiology ? Human Movement Science, she hopes to become a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the fourth straight year.
However, her ultimate goal is to see her team advance further in postseason play. She says the way the last two seasons have ended has left a sour taste in her mouth. The senior hopes the team can break past this stumbling block as it progresses toward the postseason.
After injuries and transfers, Hensgens is the only player left from her freshmen class to make it through all four seasons. As the Tigers move forward in hopes of going further in postseason play, they expect great leadership and clutch play from their lone senior. Michelle Hensgens is ready to meet that challenge.