LSU volleyball sophomore outside hitters Mimi Eugene and Gina Tillis are two of the team’s most valuable pieces after their impressive freshman season. Thursday’s Purple vs. Gold scrimmage showed the pair may top expectations for the season.
The two outside hitters led their team with 10 kills each, and Eugene added two aces to her stat sheet.
“It was easier to get through this preseason from a physical standpoint because I have a whole year behind me of working out and getting stronger,” Eugene said.
Eugene played every game during her freshman season, while Tillis only sat out four. Both also already tout honors and awards for their résumés. Eugene was selected for the 2014 UTSA Classic All-Tournament Team. Tillis won Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week in October and was selected for the SEC All-Freshman Team at the end of the season.
“I feel way more confident now after having a year under my belt,” Tillis said. “I know the ropes around, and I’m ready to help my teammates on and off the court.”
With only two juniors on the team, LSU plans to turn the spotlight to building leadership qualities in as many young players as possible. LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory knows the sophomore stars are ready to take on more of a leadership role in their second season.
“We don’t expect them to be able to carry a huge load,” Flory said. “They are only sophomores. We are not going to kill them, but we know that they are going to have some added responsibility with the new setter.”
The duo play the same position and are focused on improving in the same areas by staying consistent and working on errors made in previous games, but Eugene and Tillis have different playing styles.
“Gina is one of the big, physical banger type, who is able to go and physically dominate the match,” Flory said. “Mimi is more of a finesse and a true volleyball player, who seeks to move the ball around and have a large variety of shots.”
There is a common ground, though. Going into the new season, both players aim to improve all parts of their game and do their part in keeping the team’s chemistry going.
“I want to keep working hard and stay as consistent as possible. My goal is also to keep my numbers and percentages high by making fewer errors,” Eugene said.
Although the team is going through a tough setter position transition, which mostly affects the two outside hitters, Tillis said their chemistry is high enough to handle any challenges.
“Win or lose, we’re still a team and have to keep going forward to the next practice and work on what we did wrong in the game before,” she said.