BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team put the uniform on for the first time in 2011 and took to the court Saturday with its annual Purple & Gold Scrimmage at the Maravich Center.
Set scores were 25-21, 25-17 and 25-23 as head coach Fran Flory mixed and matched her two squads. Prior to the scrimmage, the Tigers welcomed about 50 children and played host to a free two-hour Kid’s Clinic.
“Tonight was exactly what I expected,” Flory said. “We had a lot of players with first-time jitters wearing the uniform. We didn’t have a very good flow at times. We’ve pushed this team harder through preseason than we’ve pushed a team in a long time.”
Madi Mahaffey powered home a match-high 11 kills and added two blocks. She tallied nine of her spikes during the match’s first set. Michele Williams, a 2011 All-SEC Preseason Team pick, tacked on 10 kills aided by a balanced offensive effort over the three frames.
On the outside, Helen Boyle and Madie Jones provided nine kills each. Desiree Elliott, reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, chipped in seven kills. Brittani Peska paced all players with four blocks.
“I liked what I saw from Helen [Boyle], she’s proven herself all camp,” Flory said. “Boyle is going to be a stabilizing force, a great shot maker and a scorer. Madi [Mahaffey] is proving herself to be a bit of a gamer. Tonight she proved she’s a player who is better in game situations than in practice.”
LSU begins fall semester classes Monday before the Tigers embark on its 2011 campaign by playing host to Alcorn State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State and 2010 NCAA Tournament participant Miami, Fla. at the Maravich Center for the Tiger Classic on Aug. 26-27.
Fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Geaux Free program for all home matches this season compliments of The Advocate. The Tigers have compiled a 62-10 home mark since 2005.
“The first thing is we want to give the players some rest days,” Flory said. “Second, we need to truly find our identity and offensive rhythm. We’ve had it in practice at times, and it’s really good when we have it. We need to figure out how to be more consistent with it. That will be the goal at practice for this week.”
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LSU Volleyball Postmatch Quotes
Purple and Gold Scrimmage – August 20, 2011
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
On the scrimmage …
“Tonight was exactly what I expected. We had a lot of players with first-time jitters wearing the uniform. We didn’t have a very good flow at times. We’ve pushed this team harder through preseason than we’ve pushed a team in a long time. The players are physically and mentally exhausted. That showed tonight in their play.”
On the play of Helen Boyle and Madi Mahaffey . . .
“I liked what I saw from Helen, she’s proven herself all camp. Boyle is going to be a stabilizing force, a great shot maker and a scorer. Madi is proving herself to be a bit of a gamer. Tonight she proved she’s a player who is better in game situations than in practice.”
On the setters . . .
“I thought the play on both teams was a little shaky. We looked nervous and lacked control in certain moments. We worked into some rhythm, but then I changed lineups. I didn’t give them much of a chance because I put them in a lot of difficult situations with the changes during the match because that’s what they’re going to be in during the season.”
On the ball control …
“Specifically Meghan Mannari and Lauren Waclawczyk had nice nights passing and playing defense. They made some great plays, handled out-of-system balls and had outstanding nights.”
On preparing for the first official match . . .
“The first thing is we want to give the players some rest days. Second, we need to truly find our identity and offensive rhythm. We’ve had it in practice at times, and it’s really good when we have it. We need to figure out how to be more consistent with it. That will be the goal at practice for this week.”