BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball program has received valid SEC Transfer Agreements from Emily Ehrle and Laura Whalen to continue their careers with the Tigers Tuesday as announced by head coach Fran Flory.
Ehrle will join LSU from Texas Tech as a sophomore, while Whalen will be a junior transferring from Texas State for the 2013 season.
“We are excited to welcome Emily and Laura into our LSU volleyball family,” Flory said. “They both come to our program with extensive experience filling vital roles throughout their previous experiences. Emily is a balanced, physical outside hitter who has the ability to terminate offensively. Her ability to carry a huge offensive load will be a positive addition to our roster, and we expect her to continue that legacy here. Laura has extensive experience on the collegiate level as both a libero and as a defensive specialist. Her ball control and serve-receive ability will fill a huge void on our roster with the graduation of Sam Delahoussaye and Meghan Mannari. Emily and Laura are both outstanding and balanced student-athletes who will help us continue the championship tradition of our program.”
Ehrle, a 6-2 outside hitter, paced the Red Raiders with 241 kills over 30 matches last season. She recorded 10 or more kills on 11 occasions which included a career-best 23 kills, the fifth-highest kill total on the season for a Big 12 player, during a five-set victory over Furman. For her efforts, she garnered Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors. The Crowley, Texas, native also added 0.40 digs and 0.27 blocks per set.
Whalen, a 5-6 defensive specialist, totaled 718 digs over 65 matches serving as the Bobcats primary libero over the last two seasons. She registered double figure digs 34 times which included a career-high 26 scoops during a five-set victory over Sam Houston State last season. In 2011, Texas State garnered a NCAA Tournament spot with a 27-8 record after winning the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles.
The Tigers will bring back eight letterwinners in 2013 highlighted by Desiree Elliott, a two-time All-SEC selection. LSU’s seven-year run atop the SEC Western Division came to a close last season. The streak was the second-longest in SEC history only behind Florida’s 14-year atop the SEC Eastern Division from 1995-2008.
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.