BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team takes the floor for the first time in 2010 with its annual Purple & Gold Scrimmage Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the Maravich Center.
Prior to the event, the Tigers will play host to a free Kid’s Clinic for children 12 and under starting at 5 p.m., as the defending SEC champions will instruct volleyball basics.
“We’re excited to put the uniform on and play in front of our fans,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Our team is starting to come together. I really like our defense and ball control. When you have those two phases of the game coming together this early, your offense should be very efficient. I like the way we’ve progressed [through preseason camp] and I’m excited this team has been able to go a long way in such short time.”
LSU, winners of five straight SEC Western Division crowns, wrapped up its second week of preseason camp after cramming 20 practice sessions into a 12-day span. The Tigers have a trio of seniors and two juniors on the 14 player roster and Flory has been impressed with how quickly the players have gelled, especially on the back row.
“The key has been our veterans rising up to the challenge of our young kids,” Flory said. “They’ve been able to elevate their game in many capacities. I believe Desi Elliott will be the real deal. She’s fast, dynamic and going to start out with a bang. Our backcourt defense has been outstanding. Lauren Waclawczyk has come back prepared, balanced and ready to go. Same goes for Meghan Mannari, Sam Delahoussaye and Brittany Steele. All of our defensive players are tuned in and it’s been fun to watch the competition.”
Under Flory, the Tigers are one of only 20 programs to appear in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments en route to the nation’s 11th-best winning percentage since 2005.
The Tigers open the 2010 regular season against Pacific, Siena and Texas A&M on August 27-28 as part of the Texas A&M Invitational. Season tickets for the defending SEC champions are on-sale now at www.lsutix.net starting at $40 for adults and $25 for youth ages 3-12.
For all of the latest information on Tiger volleyball, log on to http://www.lsusports.net/volleyball, follow the program’s twitter page at http://twitter.com/lsuvolleyball and check out the team’s official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.