Welcome to the third and fourth categories of our Tiger Rag High Five, the best volleyball and soccer players.
A 15-member media panel with a collective 582 years of sports journalism experience picked LSU’s five best athletes, coaches, moments, and individual game and season performances in 21 categories covering all present and past sports.
Voters on the panel were provided information of six to 10 nominees and were asked to rank one through five. The panel voters could also write-in their own candidates.
Scoring was tallied as 5 points for a first-place vote, 4 for second-place, 3 for third-place, 2 for second place and 1 for last-place. Ties were not broken.
Here we go. . .
Volleyball/Beach Volleyball
LSU has won six SEC regular season volleyball championships (the last in 2009), tying Kentucky for the second most league titles. The Tigers have also won four SEC volleyball tournaments (the last time in 1991), tying Tennessee for the third most.
LSU’s beach volleyball program started 2014 and the Tigers finished third at last season’s national championships.
The winner of the best-ever LSU volleyball player is. . .
Daniela Reis 65 (9 first-place votes)
Daniela (Dani) Reis became the first Tiger volleyball player to be inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame.
A native of Brazil, Reis was the finest setter in program history. She earned three AVCA All-America selections in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Reis also guided the Tigers to three SEC regular season championships, three SEC Tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA Final Fours in 1990 and 1991.
She still holds SEC and LSU records in career assists with 6,379, a mark that ranks ninth in NCAA history. She has four of the program’s top five single season assist totals. Her 82 assists vs. Florida (Dec. 1991) are the second-most in program history for a single-match.
She’s second in LSU history in career digs with 1,527 and service aces with 254. She was MVP in the SEC Final Four in 1989.
2. Monique Adams 57 (3)
1991 SEC tournament MVP and a two-time first-team All-American
3. Brittnee Cooper 30 (2)
2009 SEC Player of the Year, holds single-season hitting percentage record
4. Nyla Shepherd 24 (1)
LSU career leader in kills, three-time first-team All-SEC 1989, 1990, 1991
5. Claire Coppola 21
Two-time USAV Collegiate Beach champion partnering with Kristen Nuss, returns for senior year next year
Soccer
LSU has never won a regular season SEC soccer championship but did capture the league tourney in 2018.
The winner of the best-ever LSU soccer player is . . .
Malorie Rutledge 70 (12)
Malorie Rutledge was a goal-scoring machine for East Coweta (Ga.) High with 155 career goals. She lived up to her rep in a fabulous college career from 2006-09 as the most honored player to ever play for the Tigers.
Rutledge was a three-time All-American and remains LSU’s only three-time All-SEC first-team selection from 2007-09. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
Her success wasn’t an accident. While extremely talented, she had an unrivaled work ethic that boosted the Tigers to three SEC Western Division championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. Allysha Chapman 45 (1)
First Tiger ever named SEC Defensive Player of the Year
3. Carolyn Brockmeier 44 (1)
Superb goalie named 2018 SEC tournament MVP for champion LSU
4.Mo Isom 35 (1)
Goalie who holds LSU career records in wins and shutouts
5. Chelsea Potts 20
First-team All-SEC in 2009 and second-team in 2006 and 2007
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