COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – LSU outside hitter Helen Boyle, middle blocker Desiree Elliott and libero Meghan Mannari have been invited to attend open tryouts this weekend for the United States Women’s National A2 Program held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
“We are excited to send Helen, Desiree and Meghan to the USA tryout,” head coach Fran Flory said. “They will be outstanding representatives of our program. It’s every players dream to have the chance to play for the USA National Program. Each of these players has earned the right to compete for a spot on the team. Our program has been represented well in the past in this program, and we are hopeful these three will continue that legacy.”
The Tigers have won a medal during each of the last four years of the USA Volleyball Open National Championships with the A2 Program. Brittnee Cooper and Elena Martinez won gold in 2008, while Cooper added a silver medal in 2009. Former assistant coach Steve Loeswick came away with a bronze medal in 2010, whereas head coach Fran Flory secured gold in 2011.
Instead of competing in the USA Volleyball Open National Championships, a projected 48 athletes will compete in their own four-team tournament held in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC) held in Columbus, Ohio from July 1-4.
LSU has strung together seven consecutive SEC Western Division titles highlighted by the overall league championship in 2009. It's the second longest streak in SEC history, only behind Florida's 14-year run on top of the SEC's Eastern Division from 1995-2008.
The Tigers have garnered a 159-55 record, secured six NCAA Tournament appearances and notched 24 All-SEC selections since 2005.