The Southeastern Conference is extremely competitive in every sport, from football to golf. And no matter what sport is played, it is very rare that a true freshman makes an immediate impact.
That is what makes the performance of LSU volleyball player Cara Causey so impressive.
“I’m surprised,” Causey said of her starting as a freshman. “It’s tough to come in as a freshman and play, not only just because of your ability but just because of my experience and things like that being a freshman.”
Causey, a native of Alexandria, is a 6-foot-2 middle blocker who now resides in Longview, Texas.
The freshman received a chance to play because of an injury to senior middle blocker Lauren Cuyler, and Causey has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
However, she gives Cuyler a lot of the credit for her impressive play.
“Since coming in, Lauren Cuyler has really helped me a lot in becoming a better middle blocker,” Causey said. “She’s taught more about the game than just playing. She gets the credit for everything. She has really helped me a whole lot behind the scenes.”
Beginning with the win over Georgia on Oct. 20, Causey had been an integral part in the Tigers’ five-game win streak before last night’s loss to Kentucky, and she has contributed in many different ways.
In the win against the Bulldogs, Causey led the team with a career-high eight blocks.
Five days later, in a 3-0 sweep against Ole Miss, Causey chipped in with 10 kills and registered a gaudy .643 hitting percentage.
Mississippi State also had problems controlling Causey, as she pitched in with nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage in the 3-0 sweep of MSU.
Her impressive play continued into the next weekend, as she recorded eight kills and two solo blocks as the Tigers wiped the floor with the hapless Auburn Tigers.
And in a very important game against Alabama to complete last weekend’s series, Causey recorded eight kills on a .500 hitting mark and also sent back six Crimson Tide spikes to once again lead the team in blocks.
Causey said her recent play has earned the confidence of her teammates, something very important to her.
“It is hard to earn the faith of your teammates as a freshman,” Causey said. “And that is one thing that makes me very happy about my team; they have a lot of faith in me and that is a good thing.”
Causey knows the outlook of the LSU volleyball program is nothing but encouraging with players like sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Regan Hood and sophomore outside hitter Kyra Lancon still having several years of eligibility remaining.
“We have a very bright future ahead of us,” Causey said. “I think we have a lot of things to look forward to. We just have to get this year taken care of and play the best we can for the rest of this year and then we have a good year to look forward to next year.”
However, Causey thinks the Tigers still have many goals to attain with four conference games remaining and the SEC Tournament still on tap.
“We just need to play more consistently,” Causey said of the 15-8 Tigers. “We have our ups and downs, and we can play really good and then we can play not so good, so we need to be a lot more consistent then we can beat everybody.”