After making a name for herself offensively, LSU middle blocker Regan Hood now has garnered attention for her defensive abilities as well. The Southeastern Conference named Hood the Defensive Player of the Week for her performances against Hawaii and Tennessee.
Hood currently ranks No. 2 in the SEC in kills per game with 4.38. She was ranked No. 1 until this week when she was surpassed by Erin Heffner of Alabama, who has 4.46 kills per game.
Last weekend Hood led LSU with 3.29 digs per game and a total of 23 digs for the weekend to earn her the SEC honor.
“I was a little surprised,” Hood said.
She recorded three blocks against Tennessee and felt that number was low for her to be named the defensive player of the week.
“Most of the defense is blocking,” Hood said. “I didn’t have that many blocks. I had a lot of digs.”
LSU assistant coach Danijela Tomic said Hood is a complete player.
“She plays back row and front row,” said Tomic. “She leads the conference in kills per game and is defensive player of the week.”
Tomic said it is not very common for volleyball players to excel both offensively and defensively. She said Hood has done a lot of defensive drills to improve in that area. However, Tomic believes that Hood also has a natural ability to perform well in both facets of the game.
“To be an all-around player is the best thing,” Hood said. “I’ve always wanted to play all the way around.”
Hood said she could see the holes last weekend that the other teams were hitting their shots through. The Texas native compared it to a quarterback seeing the hole in the defense and finding his man.
“I can see where they’re going to hit,” Hood said.
So far in the season, Hood leads the team in block solos with 25, total blocks with 85 and kills per game with 4.38.