This Thursday, the LSU volleyball team takes on the Boston College Eagles at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers will then face North Florida and San Diego on Friday.
Out of the eight matches played so far, LSU has won six, losing only to Baylor at the Baylor Invitational this past week and to Troy at the start of the season.
From dangerous kills to game-saving blocks, here are three players that have stood out and pose as threats to the Eagles Thursday night.
Jessica Jones
Freshman middle blocker Jessica Jones has proved to be a notable member of the team’s offense and has already climbed her way to the SEC’s top 10, where she is ranked No. 8 in hitting percentage.
This is Jones’ first season with LSU and she is starting off strong, as seen from the start of the season, where she led the team with 19 points in a loss to Troy at the end of August.
However, that loss doesn’t speak to her contributions as an offensive player. Jones stands with an 11.5% chance of attack errors – with only 15 errors across 130 attempts – and already has 59 successful kills over the course of all eight matches.
Scoring nine kills against Samford with only three errors in 24 attempts of attack, Jones was the one who carried the Tigers out of the first set that LSU took 25-21.
That same night, Jones also met her personal best in both aces and digs per game. With seven digs, she managed to protect the team from Samford’s offense while also scoring two points in LSU’s favor from her two aces.
Alongside her teammates, Jones, as one of the SEC’s most efficient players, is going to play a crucial part in LSU’s offense against the Boston College Eagles with her attacks.
Angelina Lee
Coming in at six feet two inches tall, sophomore middle blocker Angelina Lee is ready to tower over the Eagles.
If you’ve been keeping up with LSU volleyball’s defense, you would know that Lee is climbing the ladder of her personal records, topping her performance from last year’s season.
After closing her first year at LSU with 34 blocks, Lee started her season off high against both New Hampshire and Maryland, with two solo blocks and 10 assisted blocks at the end of the night between the two games.
Now, she has surpassed her personal record of blocks within a season by three, with 37 successful blocks over the course of seven games so far.
LSU played against Samford last weekend, where Lee delivered a total of eight total blocks – two solos and six assists – a new personal record for her within one game.
She is exceeding expectations as she pounds her own records into the ground, and that momentum is unlikely to fade Thursday night.
Jurnee Robinson
Ranked No. 2 in the nation in kills per set, sophomore outside hitter Jurnee Robinson might just be the team’s strongest asset.
In only seven games, she has already racked up 159 kills, and we can only expect to see that number grow as Robinson continuously dominates her opponents.
On Aug. 30, Robinson set her personal best in kills with 25 kills against New Hampshire. As the Tigers took on the Maryland Terrapins that same night, Robinson led the game with 28 kills, topping her personal best within just a few hours.
While she is yet to set another personal record, Robinson is known for executing kills that have proven nearly impossible to block. So if you find yourself at Thursday night’s match, keep an eye on the Eagles as Robinson steps onto the court.
Yes – the entirety of LSU’s volleyball team is well-equipped to take on Boston College – but these three players have proven to be incredibly valuable and volleyball fans should expect great things from them this season.
