BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team will look to extend its winning streak to three on Tuesday night when it hosts in-state rival New Orleans at 7 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Tigers are fresh off a weekend sweep of Mississippi State and Ole Miss that improved their record to 9-8 on the season.
“Any time we play anybody in the state, it is a chance for them to knock off the big school in the state,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “They are a good team, a balanced team. They will keep the ball in play and fight us for every point. We will have to come in prepared to play and play at a high level to take care of business.”
LSU will be led into the match by outside hitters Meghan Bedford and Jennifer Hampton, both of whom have been outstanding for the Tigers in recent weeks.
Bedford, the current Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, has hit for 20 kills in three of her last six matches. She also has notched three double-doubles in that span.
Hampton has a double-double in four consecutive matches and six of the past seven. She currently leads the SEC in digs/game with a 3.90 average. Her 25 in the win over Mississippi State is a career-high and ranks second in Tiger history for a three-game match.
LSU and New Orleans squared off earlier this year in the Sugar Bowl Classic with LSU taking a 15-2, 14-16, 15-9, 15-11 victory.
“We beat them earlier, but they didn’t play very well,” said Flory. “They have improved throughout the year and when they are in their system, we have to play great defense to defend that.”