BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team put the uniform on for the first time in 2012 and took to the court Saturday in the program’s annual Purple & Gold Scrimmage at the Maravich Center.
Set scores were 25-12, 25-21, 25-22 with Purple claiming the first and third sets. Head coach Fran Flory mixed and matched her two squads in between sets. Prior to the scrimmage, the Tigers welcomed over 200 children and played host to a free two-hour Kids Clinic.
“I thought it was a wonderful event and a great start to our season,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Our players love sharing the game of volleyball with kids. From a match standpoint, we have to keep working to find our offensive rhythm. We’re close to where we need to be. The more reps we get in match situations, the less mistakes will happen.”
LSU’s offense was balanced as six players produced seven or more kills. On the outside, Madie Jones powered home a team-leading 13 kills. Cati Leak connected for 12 kills, while Helen Boyle and Katie Lindelow chipped nine kills apiece.
Desiree Elliott turned in a solid effort with 10 kills and three blocks as a six-rotation player. Khourtni Fears tallied six of her seven kills over the final two sets. Jackie Gerig and Marissa Maas added four and three blocks, respectively.
“Our newcomers did a fabulous and have integrated nicely into our system,” Flory said. “They made some key, physical plays when we needed them. Going forward, our passing and defense were good. We need to be a little more discipline from a blocking standpoint. Serving needs to improve a little bit, but I believe everything will take care of itself.”
LSU, who is receiving votes in the preseason edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll, travels to the 26 West Longhorns Classic to open the 2012 season. The Tigers will square off with tournament host and No. 2 Texas [Friday – 6 p.m.] along with No. 19 San Diego [Saturday – 9 a.m.] and Cal Poly [Saturday – 4 p.m.].
All three matches will have free live audio and live stats inside the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net, while the Texas match will be televised live on the Longhorn Network.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsuvolleyball along with @lsuvolleyball and @lsucoachfran on Twitter.
Admission to all 2012 home matches at the Maravich Center are free compliments of the Advocate’s “Geaux Free” program.