BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team will attempt to maintain its perfect record against Southeastern Conference Western Division foes on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it faces Arkansas in Fayetteville.
The Tigers are 7-0 this season against its intra-division rivals with three matches left to play. Arkansas (15-9, 10-2) currently leads the division by two games over LSU (13-8, 8-4) and Alabama, which are tied for second.
The two teams met on Friday in Baton Rouge in a match the Tigers won in three games. Led by Lauren Cuyler’s 14 kills and eight blocks, seniors Meghan Bedford, Lyndsey Benson, Meagan Davis and Addie Prewitt went out on a winning note in their final home match.
“I think playing the same team twice in the same weekend, doesn’t give you much time to adjust,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “But you know what their bread-and-butter is and what they value in terms of how they want to attack you.
“I think Arkansas will make some big adjustments for us. They will try to key more on Cuyler and try to control Cuyler and Kyra (Lancon). I think the other people on our team will have to step up.”
It was the second win for LSU over Arkansas in the teams’ last three meetings. The LadyBacks won the first 12 matches in the series, which dates back to 1994.
For the second straight outing, the Tigers will have to overcome injuries to two starters to get a win. Bedford injured her shoulder in warm-ups on Friday while Lancon suffered a broken finger earlier in the week.
Lancon played through the pain on Friday and registered 10 kills and three blocks. Bedford, meanwhile, is doubtful for Sunday. Junior Rachel Vogt, who replaced Bedford on Friday, should earn the starting nod once again.
“The other people on our team will have to step up given the opportunity,” Flory noted. “But we are going to make some adjustments ourselves. They will see some different looks from us. We didn’t give up everything we do on Friday with the idea we would see them again in two days.”
In Friday’s meeting, LSU used stellar blocking and defense to stifle the powerful Arkansas offense. The LadyBacks managed just a .119 hitting percentage as the Tigers recorded 13 blocks on the night.
Libby Windell, who leads the conference in hitting at .482, was stymied offensively on Friday en route to a -.174 clip.
“What we did serving wise was really good. Our serving strategy took them out of rhythm and what they were trying to accomplish offensively,” Flory said. “But Arkansas is a great offensive team. They are very efficient and they are certainly going to be more comfortable on their home court.”
The match will be senior day for the LadyBacks.