Raigen Cianciulli keeps digging for the Tigers.
Coming off a spectacular freshman year where she finished eighth in digs per season in LSU history with 499, Cianciulli has started her sophomore season in the same dominating fashion. Cianciulli has led the team in digs in all 11 games and recently recorded a career-high 35 digs against Abilene Christian, which is the most for a Tiger since 2014.
As Cianciulli continues to show her defensive prowess, she credits her teammates for putting her in the right place to succeed.
“The blockers are doing a great job covering their side of the court,” Cianciulli said. “They make my life so much easier.”
While Cianciulli said that digging is easy, the hard part is knowing what to do with it. Targeting the ball off a spike to the setter is what LSU is looking to improve upon.
Target balls to setters is difficult, and pressure can be strenuous for an upcoming sophomore, but Cianciulli says the team and program is making her life easier on and off the court.
“The upperclassmen have done a great job of setting the culture for our program,” Cianciulli said. “They have done a really good job of making everyone comfortable.”
As the season progresses, Cianciulli recognizes the need for wins to show up, especially heaving into a tough Southeastern Conference schedule.
“I think we are getting there,” Cianciulli said. “As we are progressing we are learning the system and trying to target our balls better.”
As the Tigers move closer to SEC play, they are looking, as all teams are, to string together wins. With the help of everyone on the team, this weekend was exactly what the team needed.
In road tournaments, the Tigers went 2-0, so the return home might be a case for optimism.
As for how to string those wins together, Cianciulli drew from a more mental standpoint.
“After every game we would look at the stats and win every single one,” Cianciulli said. “We have to just go out and play from our hearts.”