It’s been a tale of two seasons for the LSU volleyball team’s outside hitters.Last season, the Tigers had a depth problem at the position because of season-ending ACL injuries to then-junior Lauren DeGirolamo and senior Marina Skender. Those injuries forced then-freshman Michele Williams to move from the outside, where LSU coach Fran Flory wanted her to play, back to her natural middle blocker position.It’s a completely different story this year, and the Tigers have a group of crafty upperclassmen at the outside to go along with a highly touted freshman.”We have a lot of versatility in the kids we have this season,” Flory said. “It’s a nice luxury to have people on the bench that if someone has an off night, we can sub someone else in.”The job of the outside hitter is to attack off the set from senior setter Sam Dabbs or junior setter Brittney Johnson, who also doubles as an outside hitter.Though many times an outside hitter will hit the ball as hard as possible at the defense, sometimes a finesse shot is required, meaning the attacker will tap the ball over the block of the defender or hit the ball as a sidewinder along the net on the other side of the court.She said the decision of what type of hit to make often happens in the split second the attacker jumps in the air for the kill, akin to in baseball when a batter has to decide whether or not to swing at a ball or a strike.”It also has a lot to do with before the play where we see where the defense is and where the block is going to be,” said freshman outside hitter Madie Jones. “It’s very important to know where the defense is in terms of where you want to make the kill.”The most impressive of LSU’s four outside hitters three weeks into the season has been Skender.Skender has averaged 2.63 kills per set, which is second on the team behind senior middle blocker Brittnee Cooper. She also averages 2.57 digs per set, also No. 2 on the team, and is first on the team in service aces so far this season with 11.Flory said Skender has played better so far this season than where she ended the 2007 season, which Flory said is a tribute to Skender’s hard work in practice.”She’s more physical and faster than she’s ever been,” Flory said. “She’s got every shot in the book, and she’s a master of creating offensive opportunities that nobody else on this team could.”The Zagreb, Croatia native said she feels more confident this season than she has in the past.”I kind of try to keep myself to high standards, so I think so far I’ve played OK,” Skender said. “But I’m sure I can play even better.”While the senior has regained her form from two season ago, the play of Jones has also been a plesant welcome for Flory.Jones, a PrepVolleyball.com top-50 recruit out of high school, has started seven matches this season for the Tigers, playing in 26 sets while averaging 1.50 kills per set.”Madie is just a big, physical outside,” Flory said. “She hits the ball so much higher and has so much more range in terms of where she can hit the ball.”————Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]