BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team travels to Starkville, Miss., for a Southeastern Conference Western Division match with Mississippi State on Friday at 7 p.m.
With a win, LSU (6-5, 3-1 SEC) would have its best start in conference play since the 1992 season, the last time the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament.
LSU has won four of its past five matches, including the last two.
“This is a match we would love to win,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “We are in a race with Arkansas for the SEC West and we have to win matches in our own division to keep up.
“LSU hasn’t done this well in the SEC for a while, so this is an opportunity for us to build on our own success and make a statement.”
Mississippi State (6-6, 1-2) has dropped three of its last four matches, including its last two in SEC play. The Bulldogs began league play with a win at Auburn.
“Mississippi State is a team that has been through a lot this season,” Flory said. “They have played three five-game matches and are much more experienced in longer matches than we are. It would be beneficial for us to come out and play well early and get a quick lead.”
Leading the Tigers into action will be freshman Kyra Lancon and junior Jennifer Hampton, who have been a dominating force since conference play began. The pair is averaging 7.6 kills/game while hitting .293 in the SEC.
On the other side, senior Meghan Bedford has been steady as well, averaging 3.27 kills en route to a .286 hitting percentage in that time.
“Our outside hitters have really carried us lately. Kyra and Hampton have done a great job for us in the past few weeks and have become go-to players for us,” Flory noted. “And what can you say about Bedford? She continues to be one of the most consistent players we have.”
Expected to join Lancon, Hampton and Bedford in the starting line up are setter Katie Kubena (10.92 assists/game) as well as middle blockers Meagan Davis (2.72 kills/game) and Lauren Cuyler (1.84 kills/game, 1.32 blocks/game).
Misty Hubenthal’s paces the Bulldog attack, which hits just .147 as a team, with 3.10 kills/game.