BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team will begin Southeastern Conference play when it faces South Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (4-5) enters the match coming off a 1-2 weekend in the Tiger Classic while South Carolina (9-3) has won four straight matches.
“Right away we have a big test in conference play in South Carolina,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “This is a match that will set the tone for the rest of our season, especially in the SEC. They have a bunch of good players, but we are capable of beating them. It is up to us to step up to the plate and get the job done.”
Middle blocker Meagan Davis, who paces the Tiger offense with 3.2 kills/game and attack percentage at .372 will lead LSU into battle against the conference’s best defense which averages right at 17 digs/game. Outside hitter Jennifer Hampton, who is second in theSEC with 3.39 digs/game, leads the Tiger defense against a South Carolina attack that ranks second in the conference with a .276 attack percentage.
The Lady Gamecocks will counter with Cally Plummer, who was named the SEC Player of the Week for her efforts last week in wins over Clemson, Miami, Rutgers and Sam Houston State. Plummer averages a team-high 3.38 kills/game while hitting .303.
The game is one of two this weekend for LSU as 1999 NCAA Tournament participant Stephen F. Austin will face the Tigers on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the PMAC.