Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU Beach Volleyball team kicked off practice for the 2024 season Tuesday afternoon with a practice centered around passing and defense.
“Practice was great today,” said head coach Russell Brock. “Anytime we come back after a long break, it’s great to be reunited with the Beach Fam. There’s always going to be a little window where the touches aren’t as crisp, and that’s unavoidable after we haven’t been training on a daily basis, but what I was most proud of was our ability to bring effort and energy at a mid-season level. I really like the togetherness of this team.”
The Tigers bring back several key players from last season’s starting lineup, including Second Team All-American Gabi Bailey, CCSA Pair of the Year and NCAA All-Tournament Team honoree Parker Bracken, CCSA All-Freshman Team standout Skylar Martin, and AVCA Top Flight members Aubrey O’Gorman, Emily Meyer, and Yali Ashush. The team will look to leadership from the key returners.
“This season has a great balance of new faces, returning starters, and veteran players,” said Brock. “We definitely have a good idea of the individual talent level that we will bring into the season, but we are excited to experiment with our pairs over the next couple of months. We know that we have a lot of people who are capable of contributing at a really high level, and working on the chemistry within pairs is the main task as we build towards another exciting season.”
The Tigers have 4 additions to the roster looking to make a difference in the lineup, including early enrollee Bella Lagemann.
Camryn Chatellier, a two-time state champion for St. Mary’s Dominican High School, had a standout high school career filled with numerous accolades. As a sophomore, she was named 1st Team All-District, MaxPreps Player of the Week, and Top 150 in the 2024 class. Her junior year saw even greater recognition, including AVCA Phenom, Geaux Preps Player of the Week, MaxPreps Player of the Week, Division One Outstanding Player of the Game, Clarion Herald Elite Team and MVP, MaxPreps Underclassman All-American, MaxPreps Louisiana Player of the Year, All-District MVP, LVCA All-State Team and Player of the Year, Prep Volleyball High School All-American Honorable Mention, Prep Volleyball Fallstars Class of 2024, and All-Metro Team and MVP. During her senior year, she was named to the Prep Volleyball Class of 2024 High School Watchlist, MaxPreps Preseason Best Player in Louisiana, MaxPreps Pre-Season Second Team All-American, AVCA All-American Watchlist, MaxPreps Player of the Week (twice), Sports Illustrated Top 25 in Louisiana, AVCA High School First Team All-American, and MaxPreps Louisiana Player of the Year 2023. To crown her impressive high school journey, Chatellier earned the prestigious title of 2023-24 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year.
Julia Sprecher was a dual-sport athlete in indoor volleyball and track and field during her time in high school. On the court in 2022, she was a state champion, and in 2023, she earned Offensive MVP and team captain. In track and field, Sprecher was Rookie of the Year in 2021 and a 2023 Track State Qualifier. Along with all of her athletic honors, she takes her talents to the classroom as well. Sprecher was involved in Key Club, Investing Club, Leukemia & Lymphoma Student Visionary, Scuba Diving Club Officer, and Seeds of Service and earned Academic All-Ohio for track and field.
Elle Evers was an All-Academic Honorable mention. 2022-23 Region 6 Champions, 2023 State Finalist, 2021 First Team All-Region, 2022 First Team All-Region, 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, 2023 First Team All-Region, 2023 Region Player of the Year. To finish off her high school indoor volleyball career, Evers had an overall record of 67-14.
Lagamenn, a two-time state champion in 2022 and 2023, had a high school career full of achievements both on and off the court. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Outdoors Club, and Sending Sunshine. In 2022, she was named to the Arkansas All Prep Underclassmen Team. As a junior in 2023, she earned spots on the Arkansas All Prep First Team, the All-State Team, and the All-State Tournament Team, where she was also named MVP. In her senior year, she led the state of Arkansas in aces, finishing her high school career as a key player for her team.
Gracey Campbell, Kylie Mueller, Madison Meyers, Forbes Hall, Kate Baker, Cassidy Chambers, Amelia Taft, Tatum Finlason, and Amaya Messier all look to compete for playing time as well.