LSU Gold

Beach Adds Two During Signing Period

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Beach Adds Two During Signing Period

BATON ROUGE – The LSU Beach Volleyball Program added two players on Thursday to help bolster the program on and off the sand, Head Coach Russell Brock announced.

Kate Baker and Kelly McCloskey will join a team and program that has made it to the past four NCAA Beach Championship Tournaments and the two of them will look to continue that success for the Tigers for years to come. 

Baker is a New Orleans, Louisiana native who chose to stay home and play for the Tigers. Baker was the 2020 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and Division I Player of the Year. She led St. Mary’s Dominican High School to its first state championship that year and was named the MVP of the championship game. Baker has been a dual-sport athlete in high school, playing basketball along with volleyball.

“Kate is a player who we’ve had our eye on for a long time,” said head coach Russell Brock. “Any time you can get someone who has been so successful as an athlete and a leader from our area we feel like that is an important addition for our team and our culture. Kate is a fantastically talented left-handed defender who plays with passion and energy. She’s strong and skilled. I’m excited to have her join our family and continue to grow as one of the top beach players to come out of the South Louisiana area.”

McCloskey is a Newport Beach, California native who decided to take her talents to the bayou and play for the Tigers. She played volleyball at Edison High School and also competed in club volleyball for Elite Beach in Los Angeles. McCloskey excelled both on the sand and in the classroom, as she was selected to the 2018 Sunset League All-Academic Team. She was also in 2018 AAU Junior Olympics Champion and the 2021 runner-up. In 2019 she was selected to the USAV All-Tournament Team. 

“Kelly is a long defender who comes from one of the best beach clubs in the country,” said Brock. “She has been training with the top players and coaches in Southern California and we are excited to continue to help her grow as a player and a person. Her knowledge of the game and her experience playing on the beaches of SoCal is invaluable. Kelly is skilled and passionate and has great potential to impact our team. We can’t wait to watch her embrace the culture here and contribute to our team.”