Volleyball Position Preview: Liberos
Aug 21, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS -Â With preseason camp coming to a close, Tulane volleyball continues to prepare for the start of the regular season with the I-10 Tournament home opener on Friday and Saturday. The Green Wave will face UTEP in their first match on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by matches on Saturday against Incarnate Word and Louisiana-Lafayette on 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
The 2018 season marks Jim Barnes' third year as head coach. Finishing with a 14-19 overall record and 3-17 conference record last season, the team's 12 returning letterwinners will look to play hard throughout the start of the season in an effort to learn from last year's challenges and continue rebuilding the program.
Previews of each position will follow on TulaneGreenWave.com in the coming days leading up to the first match on Friday.
LIBEROS:
Led by junior Kaylie McHugh, this group of returning liberos is expected to work together and lead the Green Wave to success both on and off the court this season.
"This group of liberos really drives this team," Barnes said. "They're always a group that's very spunky and hardworking. I think we have the best libero group in the league, as well as the best libero in [McHugh]."
McHugh led Tulane with 592 digs in 2017, the third-highest single-season total in school history. Named The American's Defensive Player of the Week in September 2017, she also ranks fourth in the record books with 4.62 digs per set in a single season.
"She's the returning libero, and I think she's the best in the conference and one of the top in the country," Barnes said. "It's not only her playing ability, but her leadership is huge with this young team and she's just done a tremendous job."
Senior Lisa Mordell, who ranked second on the team last season in total digs with 250 and digs per set with 2.34, has proven her drive as a player and dependability as a teammate during her time with the Green Wave.
"You can always depend on Lisa," Barnes said. "People who know Lisa, I think the first word they think of is just quality. She's such a good, all-around person and she backs it up with really tough play, so she's certainly one of the hearts and souls of this team too."
The two sophomore liberos – Mia Primavera and Nicole Levine – have shown significant growth since their starting seasons and will play large roles in this year's success.
"Mia has come the furthest on the team," Barnes said. "As a freshman last year, she just played a little bit but toward the end of the season she was playing more and had an incredible spring. Right now she's playing at a very high level and she's pushing [McHugh]. Mia's an extremely quick player and one you want on the floor. She's going to have a role on this team this year and she's done a really great job.
"Nicole is another one who is really part of the glue of this team. I've given her a role as a serving specialist where she comes in and earns us some points on a tough serve, but besides what she brings on the court, she truly loves this team and does a great job of nurturing them and pushing them in the right way."
Single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging into TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
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