The LSU volleyball team’s 2011 season didn’t produce lucky number seven — the Tigers fell short of the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years.
In the end, the Tigers won most of the games they were supposed to, but couldn’t find a signature victory.
LSU went 0-8 against RPI top-25 opponents, with two losses to Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida, respectively.
But it wasn’t all bad news for the Tigers.
LSU won the Southeastern Conference Western Division for the seventh straight year in a dramatic fashion with a sweep of Arkansas in the Tigers’ last match of the season.
The match served as revenge for LSU, as the team was swept by Arkansas in its visit with the Razorbacks earlier in the season.
Even though the Tigers didn’t make the NCAA tournament, the future appears bright for LSU.
LSU’s team boasted 11 freshmen and sophomores on its 16-player roster.
Two of those freshmen — setter Malorie Pardo and outside hitter Helen Boyle— were named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
LSU coach Fran Flory said Pardo set herself apart from most freshmen.
“She just had all the intangibles that every player doesn’t have,” Flory said. “We weren’t surprised when she came in and had this impact. I just wasn’t sure how quickly she could learn and be able to run an offense.”
Sophomore middle blocker Desiree Elliott, junior outside hitter Madie Jones and junior libero Meghan Mannari were named to the All-SEC Second Team.
Elliott was picked to the Preseason All-SEC Team and delivered, sending home 3.4 kills per set, best among middle blockers in the SEC.
Jones pulled off double-digit kills in 20 of her 28 matches.
Mannari proved to be the highlight of the Tigers’ defense, with 518 digs on the season, good for third in school history. Mannari also led the conference with 4.88 digs per set in conference play.
Flory said Mannari had an offseason that set her up for a stellar junior season.
“The No. 1 thing that happened with Meghan was that her fitness level finally caught up with itself,” Flory said. “She really invested in being a great athlete, and a great athlete is balanced physically, mentally and emotionally.”
The seniors played their part, too.
Middle blocker Michele Williams broke the 1,000-kills mark to become the 18th LSU player to reach the milestone, while senior defensive specialist Lauren Waclawczyk reached 1,000 career digs.
“Usually, when you have players that are reaching 1,000 kills, those are outside hitters,” Flory said. “It’s not usual that middles get to do that. The fact that she’s worked so hard to be an option all the time is truly the defining factor.”
 
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]