At this point in the 2010 season, junior libero Meghan Mannari was getting solid playing time. She was coming off the bench and would eventually accumulate three starts on the season.
A lot can change in a year. This year, Mannari is a fulltime starter for the Tigers and a defensive leader. Mannari wasted no time making her mark this year, earning Defensive MVP honors in the Tiger Classic, the team’s first tournament.
The LSU defense, led by Mannari , held their opponents to a Southeastern Conference-best .068 hitting percentage during the tournament.
Mannari also pulled out a career-high 36 digs in the Tigers’ 3-2 loss to Miami , a 2010 NCAA Tournament team , in theTiger Classic. The 36 digs were second-highest in program history behind former All-American Elena Martinez’s 43 in a 2007 match against Alabama.
Mannari also won SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after her strong showing at the tournament. The hot start to the season didn’t come as a surprise to the rest of the team or coaching staff.
“In the spring, she worked really hard, and you can tell,” said junior defensive specialist Sam Delahoussaye . “Throughout preseason, she was the one thateveryone was always like, ‘She’s working the emotionally.”
Flory also said Mannari focused on not just becoming a great athlete, but also a great player by investing time in watching fi lm. “The work with the technique, the work with video and the work with becoming more educated in the sport is certainly reaping benefits for us this fall,” Flory said.
While Mannari has made improvements over the spring and summer, Flory said she saw Mannari’s talent from the start. “She could always make the impossible defensive play,” she said. “Everybody thinks the ball is dead and there’s Meghan and the ball is miraculously to the court.”
Mannari’s “team” mindset doesn’t go unnoticed by Flory, either.
“Nothing that Meghan does is about Meghan,” Flory said.
“Everything she does is about the people around her. You can’t ever have enough of those players on your do.” Mannari said. “I have so much trust in them to get that done. They make it easy for year.”
Flory said the sky is the limit for Mannari’s development. “At some point in her career, Meghan is going to have the chance to be the best defender and best libero in the league,” Flory said. “If she continues to make the progress that she made from last year to this, she’s going to turn some