Hughes' season includes all-conference, 1,000th kill

Highlights of the 2006 college volleyball season for Heather Hughes included first-team all-conference recognition and her 1,000th career kill.

“Overall it went pretty well,” Hughes said of her junior season with Loyola Marymount University.

Not everything went well. The Lions were not invited to the NCAA playoffs after finishing with a 6-8 West Coast Conference record and a 19-12 overall record which followed an 11-3 start. The sixth-place conference finish was the worst in Steve Stratos’ 17 years as Loyola Marymount’s head coach.

The disappointing league record was in part due to injuries during the later portion of the season. “Her job was made much tougher by the fact that we lost some key individuals,” Stratos said of Hughes. “There was even more pressure on her to get things done.”

The loss of other key players also meant that opposing teams could increase their focus on containing Hughes. “She managed to come through with sparkling colors,” Stratos said.

“She is our best primary passer,” Stratos said. “Coaches recognized how important she is to our team.”

While that recognition meant more defense against the 2004 Fallbrook High School graduate, it also meant several league honors. She was twice selected as the WCC’s Player of the Week, and she was also selected as the conference Player of the Month for September.

“In our conference to get Player of the Month is really a big deal, because our conference is one of the best in the country,” Stratos said.

“Our conference is so tough and competitive, it’s a really big accomplishment just to get one award,” Hughes said.

Hughes was selected as the most valuable player of both the LMU Four Points Sheraton LAX Classic tournament September 8-9 and the Miami Hurricane Invitational tournament September 15-16. She was also on the all-tournament team of the Hilton Sundevil Volleyball Classic August 25-26 hosted by Arizona State University.

“It’s always an honor to get all-tournament team and MVP, so I was very excited. To know I was consistent enough to get all-tournament all three times is an honor,” Hughes said.

The Lions actually played in four tournaments, but the LMU/USC tournament September 1-2 did not have an all-tournament team.

“She’s the player they try to stop and she still manages to be successful anyway,” Stratos said of Hughes.

Hughes played in all 113 of the Lions’ 2006 games. She led the team with 462 kills, 4.09 kills per game, 56 services aces, 0.50 service aces per game, 370 digs, and 3.27 digs per game. She also had 111 assists and 39 blocks. Her aces per game ratio ranked 54th in the nation while her kills per game average was 91st among all NCAA Division I schools.

Hughes entered the season with 677 kills. On October 14 she achieved her 1,000th career collegiate kill against the University of San Francisco, making her the ninth LMU player to reach that milestone.

“That was a very fun moment for me,” she said.

The match was played at LMU’s Gersten Pavilion, where the large screen on the scoreboard counted down Hughes’ trek to the four-digit figure. “That was just an amazing feeling I’ve never had,” she said. “It was so nice to see all my friends and family out there cheering for me. It was a good feeling.”

Hughes now ranks in Loyola Marymount’s all-time top ten in eight of twelve career categories. “She’s an all-around player,” Stratos said.

Her 2006 ace total ranks second among all-time LMU single-season performances. “Being able to mix up different serves helps a lot,” she said, explaining that the opponents are unaware of what to expect.

“She’s one of our best servers,” Stratos said.

The all-conference recognition was the third for Hughes at Loyola Marymount. She earned honorable mention all-WCC as a freshman and was a first-team all-conference pick in her sophomore season.

Previous experience as a first-team all-WCC selection didn’t damper Hughes’ enthusiasm for her 2006 recognition. “It was definitely just as exciting the second time as it was the first time, and it was good also to know that I was still able to get first team without having our team get into the playoffs,” she said.

Hughes was disappointed that the Lions, who were selected for the 2005 NCAA playoffs, missed out on a 2006 berth. “It’s never about Heather and her awards. It’s always about the team,” Stratos said. “That’s always been her emphasis.”

Stratos believes that Hughes is the team’s hardest worker as well as its best player. “She’s a great captain, a great role model,” Stratos said. “That might be her most important aspect.”

Stratos is appreciative of Hughes’ attitude. “Gives 100 percent on the court all the time and is much respected here on the campus,” Stratos said.

Returning to the playoffs is one of Hughes’ main goals for her senior season. “Our whole team, our goal is to make it to the playoffs,” she said. “Our goal is to play much more consistently and get the really tough wins.”

The emphasis on winning the close games was inspired in part by LMU’s conference struggles, which included losing three five-game matches.

Hughes’ personal goals include staying at her peak throughout the entire match. “My goals are probably just to be more consistent, play at a high level all the time,” she said.

Following the 2006 season, Hughes was selected as an alternate for the 2007 national A2 team. “I’m going to keep trying for that, though,” she said. “Hopefully one day I’m going to be able to get on the team.”