BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team heads into the heart of an eight-match road swing and concludes its non-conference schedule at the WKU Tournament over the weekend. The Tigers square off with Wake Forest [10 a.m.] and Xavier [4:30 p.m.] on Friday followed by a Saturday tilt with tournament host Western Kentucky [2 p.m.].
LSU (6-1), who is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association [AVCA] Top 25 for the third straight week, is coming off an undefeated road trip with victories over Arkansas-Little Rock, Grambling and New Mexico State at the Hotel Encanto Classic last weekend.
“I think we started off very, very well on the road,” head coach Fran Flory said. “With a young group, we really didn’t know what to expect as coaches. I was proud of our effort and proud of the fact that we could get every player some road experience. All three of these teams we play this weekend are teams that I expect to have a chance to make the NCAA’s, that’s why we chose this tournament. It could be the defining factor for what we’re able to create later in the season in terms of postseason opportunities.”
LSU has captured a sweep in four of their six victories this season aided by a defense that has led the way and held opponents to SEC-low .079 hitting percentage.
Meghan Mannari has anchored the back row and sprawled out for 4.05 digs per set to rank eighth in the SEC, while Lauren Waclawczyk continues to climb the program’s all-time digs list. She enters the weekend 50 digs away from passing Lisa Smith (1984-87) for ninth place.
Michele Williams, a 2011 All-SEC Preseason Team pick, has secured a team-best and SEC-leading 25 blocks at a 1.39 per set ratio. She has tallied five or more stuffs during her last three outings.
“Michele has really blossomed,” Flory said. “She does this every year and after the fourth year maybe I would have figured it out. There’s a little slow start. Then she really comes on and finds her groove. I’m proud of how she has played, but I’m ever more proud of her leadership role she has taken on the court and off the court. She has done an excellent job with these young kids.”
The reigning SEC Freshman of the Year, Desiree Elliott, has raced out to a fast start in 2011. She has connected for double digit kills in four of her five appearances.
Elliott’s team-leading 3.58 kills per set and .343 hitting clip are fifth and seventh in the SEC rankings, respectively. The Cypress, Texas, native also has produced 10 of her 19 blocks over her last two matches and is tied for sixth in the SEC.
Madie Jones is second on the squad and ninth in the SEC with 2.88 kills per set. She has compiled a team-best .348 hitting percentage, which is fifth-best in the SEC.
Helen Boyle has made an instant impact playing all six rotations for the Tigers. She has contributed 2.53 kills, 2.74 digs and 0.53 blocks per set en route to double-doubles in two of her last three matches.
“Helen has a great volleyball mind and understands the game at a different level,” Flory said. “Most freshmen come in, and you have to teach them a lot of different things. Helen is a coach’s daughter and has been around the game forever. She’s going to be somebody that’s going to be really important not in just the big matches, but throughout her entire career here.”
Dating back to the 2005 season, LSU has collected a 146-45 record and claimed six consecutive SEC Western Division titles. The Tigers also have tallied the nation’s 11th-best winning percentage and are one of 18 programs nationally to secure six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 2005.
Live stats are available for every tournament match at LSUsports.net and fans also can follow in-match updates via the program’s social media outlets at http://twitter.com/lsuvolleyball or LSU Volleyball on Facebook.