Volleyball Welcomes Back Middle Hitter, Jones-McClain
Sep 12, 2001 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 12, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University volleyball team welcomed a familiar face back to practice Wednesday morning as sophomore middle hitter Lauren Jones-McClain hit the court for the first time during the 2001 season.
Jones-McClain, who earned Conference USA All-Freshman team honors last season, returns to the Green Wave rotation after recovering from off season abdominal surgery that has kept her off the hard wood since last season.
"It's great to be back," Jones-McClain said after Wednesday's practice. "The time off the court has been tough, but I've been able to learn a lot. I've been working on focusing mentally and physically. Now, when I get out there, I see things a lot better and can react the way I'm supposed to."
Green Wave head coach Betsy Becker expects to slowly work Jones-McClain back into the game-day rotation, but is looking forward to having her back out on the court.
"L.J. is very good offensively," Becker said, "but more importantly, she's a great passer and is very fast on defense. She has innate defensive skills, the work ethic of a mule and the talent of a thoroughbred. Defense and passing were her comfort zones last season, and once she gets back into that mindset, her offensive attack will come naturally.
"We've definitely missed her presence on the court so far this year, and it has been noticeable in our back court defense. We need one more person to step up on the back row, and L.J. can be that person. I'm a firm believer that the best competition a team faces should be in its own practices. With L.J. back on the court, her presence escalates our level of play and we have that quality competition."
As a freshman, Jones-McClain played in 33 matches and 111 games where she recorded 238 kills, 301 digs, 78 blocks and 21 service aces en route to league freshman team honors. She ranked third on the team in blocks per game with 2.712 per contest, and tied for the Green Wave lead with 78 block assists.
"We're going to bring her on slowly, as much as she can take for now," Becker said. "Right now, it's more mental than anything. She's sat out enough time to heal, so she's healthy. We just want her to be mentally ready to hit the floor and play without hesitation."
A native of Austin, Texas, Jones-McClain came to Tulane after a stellar career at Westwood High where she helped lead the team to the 1999 state championship title as a senior. Along the way, she earned first-team all-district 13-5A and all-state honors, as well as all-state tournament and academic all-district recognition.
Jones-McClain is the daughter of A.J. Jones and F.D. McClain. Her father, known as "Jam" Jones, was a collegiate football star at the University of Texas and went on to play in the NFL after being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the eighth round of the 1982 draft.
