The LSU Volleyball team is coming off a weekend where they went (2-1) in the SMU Invitational in Dallas, Tx. Tonya Johnson entered the weekend with a 3-4 non-conference record before sweeping wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Tech before falling to SMU only Sunday in a 3-0 loss. This leaves the Tigers with a (5-5) record heading into SEC play as they are set to face off with the No.22 Kentucky Wildcats at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 22 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The game will be available on the SEC Network.
By The Numbers
We Take a look at the Top 5 stat leaders in all major categories as we embark on conference play.
KILLS
Jurnee Robinson - 159 Kills (2nd in SEC)
Jade Demps - 97 Kills
Anita Anwusi - 82 Kills
Sanaa Dotson - 71 Kills
Angie Lee - 29 Kills
Hitting %
Anita Anwusi - .423 % (3rd in SEC)
Jurnee Robinson - .322 %
Angie Lee - .257 %
Samarah Hill - .235 %
Jade Demps - .235 %
Points
Jurnee Robinson - 175.5 Points (4th in SEC)
Jade Demps - 114.0 Points
Anita Anwusi - 96.0 Points
Sanaa Dotson - 80.5 Points
Angie Lee - 39.5 Points
Aces
Maddie Waak - 13 Aces
Erin Carmichael - 11 Aces
Ella Hemmings - 8 Aces
Jade Demps - 8 Aces
Jurnee Robinson - 5 Aces
Assists
Maddie Waak - 364 Assists (8th in SEC)
Erin Carmichael - 44 Assists
Emily Mitter - 14 Assists
Jade Demps - 12 Assists
Ella Hemmings - 6 Aces
Digs
Erin Carmichael - 98 Digs
Maddie Waak - 91 Digs
Jade Demps - 90 Digs
Paige Flickinger - 45 Digs
Jurnee Robinson - 45 Digs
Blocks
Anita Anwusi - 25 Blocks
Jurnee Robinson - 19 Blocks
Angie Lee- 19 Blocks
Jade Demps - 17 Blocks
Alia Williams- 11 Blocks
When looking at these stats a few superlatives stood out to me. The first being the play of transfer Jade Demps. She has been a true all-around player as she is the only player to be in the Top 5 of every stat category. Second was the play of Dynamite Freshman Jurnee Robinson as she leads the team in kills and points by a considerable margin and ranks second on the team in hitting % to Anita Anwusi who is 3rd in the SEC. Something that Tiger fans should be excited about for the remainder of the season is the growth of this freshman crop of players. Every statistical category except for digs, has multiple freshmen as stat leaders.
My Player who does not get the credit I feel they deserve is Maddie Waak, who I feel is the engine of this team. She plays amazing defense and has an outstanding connection with her hitters. She provides that second touch that allows elite hitters like Robinson and Demps to do work. Then there is Anita Anwusi who leads the team in blocks and is Top 3 in every offensive category.
On to Kentucky, while the Wildcats have a record of 3-6 and a ranking of No. 22, you may wonder how that makes sense. The Wildcats started the season ranked No. 10 and have wins over No. 24 Western Kentucky and No. 21 Houston. While they have 6 losses, they come by the hands of No. 10 Pitt (twice), No. 20 Purdue, No. 2 Louisville and No. 4 Nebraska. This will be a huge test for the Tigers.
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