It’s been nine months since the LSU volleyball team last stepped on the PMAC court together in an organized game.
That changed Saturday as the team reunited, coming together for the Purple & Gold Scrimmage to give fans their first glimpse at the new squad.
“We did a really nice job of playing defense,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “The passing tempo wasn’t great. That usually doesn’t lend us to a good rhythm offensively. … There were too many hitting errors, but it’s early. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good experience.”
Flory returns five starters to the team this season, but said she hasn’t settled on a final roster for the season opener against the University of Texas-San Antonio on Aug 30.
During the team’s media day, Flory said junior setter Malorie Pardo is the only player on the team who has clinched her spot in the starting lineup, which comes as no surprise as she is the only setter listed on the team roster.
Flory released a little more of her plans for the season after the scrimmage.
“I think [sophomore outside hitter] Emily [Ehrle] will be in there. I don’t know if [sophomore] Haley [Smith] will be in there, Haley will probably be in the defensive specialist role,” Flory said. “Overall, I think our lineup is going to remain fluid for the first couple weeks of the season. We’ve got a lot of pieces we can plug in and typically we don’t miss a beat.”
Freshman middle blocker Briana Holman drew rave reviews at team media day and again following the team scrimmage Saturday night, as Flory said she has the potential to be one of the best of all time at LSU.
Holman is visibly one of the hardest hitters on the team, a fact exemplified after she concussed freshman defensive specialist Katie Dunlap with a ball during team practice.
The DeSoto, Texas native blasted 12 kills Saturday night as well as posting nine blocks — something Flory put significant emphasis on this offseason after LSU finished near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in blocking in 2012.
“She’s feisty, she jumps high, she hits hard,” said senior middle blocker Desiree Elliott. “It’s going to be a fun season playing with her. She’s going to be our go-to, and we’re very excited to have her on the court.”
Elliott posted eight kills and five blocks in the scrimmage, but those numbers were likely stunted by Elliott being moved around the court all night to get more work in the back row and in the serving game — another point of focus for the Tigers.
“Our serving is much better,” Flory said. “I think that the international trip helped us understand how to be a tough-serving team and how to truly be tough servers. I was excited about our serving. I think for the most part our passers handled it pretty well. That was a double positive in that regard tonight.”