Classes are underway. Parking tickets are starting to pop up. Athletic seasons are in full gear.
We have already witnessed perfection and it wasn’t the fireworks display at the home opener.
Six-foot-1-inch senior middle blocker Leslie Lasiter was perfect with ten kills in 10 attempts against East Tennessee State University Aug. 31.
Lasiter is the 14th player in NCAA history to have a 1.000 killing percentage. She is also only the 5th player in NCAA history to reach perfection with 10 or more attempts.
Lasiter didn’t even know of her NCAA record performance until she had been subbed from the game.
“I was so focused on the game, I had no idea,” Lasiter said. “When I came out and coach told me I was totally shocked.”
To truly understand why Lasiter was in shock you must understand what it took to reach the perfect mark.
On ten separate occasions throughout the match the Mustangs had to play flawlessly. The play had to start with a perfect pass, then a perfect set followed by a perfect kill by Lasiter. The kill had to pass through ETSU’s blocks and avoid a diving defender, while landing within the court.
Now imagine that happening 10 times throughout the match and at playing speed. It becomes quite clear how extraordinary the accomplishment really was.
But you don’t find your way into the Player’s Club with a single outstanding performance, just as M.C. Hammer didn’t make it big because of one single hit. Not to worry, though, Lasiter is “too legit” and she doesn’t know the meaning of quit. Welcome to the club.
Her sophomore year Lasiter made like the Oilers and got the hell out of Houston. She left behind a squad at the University of Houston that had made two appearances in the NCAA tournament while she was on the roster. Upon arriving in Big D she hoped to help the Mustang program rise faster than a loaf of bread.
“I would love to see the program here get to the tourney and go farther than just the first round,” Lasiter said.
Lasiter wasted no time trying to live up to those expectations. As a junior she was second on the team with a .271 hitting percentage. She was third on the team in total kills and third with three games recording a double-double. She finished the season with 243 kills and 88 total blocks. Lasiter ranked eighth in the Western Athletic Conference in blocks per game. She also earned second team All-WAC honors at the end of the season.
Head coach Lisa Seifert is not surprised at the success of a player of Lasiter’s caliber.
“She is the quiet leader, she steps up at the right time,” Seifert said. “She leads by example and always works hard to become a better player.”
This season, it looks as if all of the hard work might pay off for Lasiter and the rest of the Mustangs. Lasiter was named pre-season All-WAC for the 2002 season and along with her perfect performance she has recorded 21 kills and eight blocks in the first three matches of the season.
With Lasiter controlling the flow of the game like the Hoover Dam controls the flow of the Colorado River, teammate Katie Moffit believes the Mustangs will be a team to take seriously.
“She is an extremely positive person, she knows how to calm us down when things are going wrong,” Moffit said. “She is always trying to get better and that makes the rest of the team want to get better.”
On the court you can find number nine putting forth her best effort in an attempt to lead the Ponies to victory. She sweats red and blue and doesn’t have an ounce of give- up in her.
“I work hard every day and try to be a steady example,” Lasiter said. “I believe I have earned a leadership role on this team and I take that seriously when I play on the court.”
So make your way out to Moody Coliseum and check out the Lady Mustangs in action. Lasiter will be there, fighting for every point. Just in case that isn’t enough for you, don’t forget that there are plenty of women in spandex rolling around on the groun