LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory has been left with a daunting task this spring.She has to replace four of her starters from last season, all of whom were statistically among the most dominant players in school history: outside hitters Marina Skender and Lauren DeGirolamo, setter Sam Dabbs and middle blocker Brittnee Cooper.Flory’s Tigers recently started replacing the holes in their offense with the start of spring team practices nearly three weeks ago.All four players were, at one time in their careers, members of All-Southeastern Conference teams.”I don’t think you replace them,” Flory said. “You find a way to make up for what you’ve lost in terms of point scoring ability, ball control, setting. Nobody is really replaceable. You just find a way to create something new with what you have, and we have a great core returning.”The team competed in the 5th Annual Texas Tornados College Spring Tournament in Houston last weekend for their first competitive action of the spring.The defending SEC champion Tigers, who went 25-7 last season, went 2-2 in their four set-matches. They defeated fellow 2009 NCAA Tournament squads Rice and Wichita State, while falling to TCU and New Mexico State.”We were real up and down,” Flory said. “We played very young. We don’t have any rhythm, and part of that is because we are trying a new lineup … I made them work on some new stuff we’ve been working on.”The Tigers will continue with tournament action this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. They will then go to the SEC Beach Championship on April 17 before hosting their home tournament on April 24.But the Tigers will be short handed for most of the spring. The team only has eight players available and is already down to seven for at least three weeks as junior middle blocker Michele Williams injured her abs during last weekend’s tournament.Flory also announced middle blocker Ally Judkins, a highly-touted recruit from last season, has decided to quit volleyball and leave the University.For now, the Tigers are making do with what they have.”It’s preparing us for who knows what can happen during the season,” said LSU junior libero Lauren Waclawczyk. “We are all getting a chance to play different positions and understand the game a little bit better right now.”Flory said the lineup has some familiar faces in it from last season.Senior Brittney Johnson, who has worked most of her career balancing between setter and outside hitter, stepped in to fill the setter position, while Williams and senior Tania Schatow work at middle blocker.Senior Angela Bensend and sophomore Madie Jones are working as the team’s two outside hitters, though Schatow is also working on the right side at times.”Madie came back really fit and prepared for the spring,” Flory said. “We are asking her to pass and play defense, so she’s not as comfortable as she would like to be. But we need her to expand her role for the team and not just be offensive.”The only position that’s not left with a gaping hole from last season is the libero spot, where Waclawczyk, along with sophomores Sam Delahoussaye and Meghan Mannari, will hold down camp for the LSU defense.Waclawczyk said it has been a friendly battle for the starting spot.”We knew it was going to be a battle coming in,” Waclawczyk said. “The coaches have done a great job of pushing us to the limits. We got down on ourselves at first because we felt we weren’t up to our standards. But now we feel like it will make us a better defensive group.”–Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]