Southern seeks wins at Lion Classic

 
After suffering key injuries in the Sheraton Airport/LA Boxing Lobo Classic, the Southern volleyball team will have their hands full in the Tangi Tourism Lion Classic against Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.
The Jaguars (0-4) will be going into tonight’s match against the Lady Lions (1-3) without three juniors who were contributed to last year’s roster. Southern and Southeastern are joined in the four-day round-robin by Louisiana Tech, Texas-Pan American and Weber State.
The Jaguars take the court at 7 p.m. tonight against the Lady Lions at the University Center. Southern continues play Friday with an 11 a.m. match against Weber State and a 3 p.m. tilt against Louisiana Tech. The Lady Jaguars conclude play Saturday at 8 a.m. against Texas-Pan American.
Junior middle blocker and outside hitter Payton Mitchell, who is a very experienced player and a standout, will be out along with junior setter Chanda Journet, who is out nursing a shoulder injury, and junior middle blocker and outside hitter Jacquia Bell with a knee injury.
“Those are three juniors right now who can really help us, and we are going to have to put some freshman in their places to help us,” said head volleyball coach Nathaniel Denu.
Denu discussed how the team will be reorganized to compensate.
“Once you have an injury you have to make some adjustments, and it becomes very cumbersome when you’re not as deep as we should be,”Denu said.
Freshman players like setter Keya Bennett, outside hitter Bre’dona Taylor, and middle blocker Jaquel Watts could all see significant playing time in Hammond,
with redshirt sophomore outside hitter and middle blocker Amber Shelby, out with a knee injury.
“It’s really difficult when you have key people down, if these are people who performed for us and played in the semi finals last year and they are not going to be 100 percent for us so far,” said Denu.
Last year the Lady Jaguars had a subpar year finishing the regular season 12-21 (4-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference) but took advantage in the postseason, beating Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M reaching the semifinals in the process.
Although the Jaguars have all of these injuries it can possibly give the young freshman some valuable playing time and also develop experience that is something the Jaguars will lack going into tonight’s contest.
“We are doing the best we can, you can have some of these injured players teach or try to motivate them and correct them, but when your on the battlefield it’s a completely different story,” Denu said, “They are doing the best they can but you can’t substitute experience out there, you must have experience.”