BATON ROUGE — Off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1998, the LSU volleyball team looks to continue their winning ways as they travel to Austin, Texas, for the Time-Warner Texas Invitational this weekend.
The Tigers begin play on Friday against Texas (4-0) at 6:30 p.m. LSU will conclude tournament play on Saturday against Liberty (0-3) at 10 a.m. and Louisiana Tech (2-3) at 4:30 p.m.
“This will be a very, very good road test for us early in the season,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “Obviously Texas is the more heralded team, but Liberty has been in the NCAA Tournament several times and traditionally has won their conference. They have a couple of players who are playing very well.
“Louisiana Tech is a very young team with a young setter, but they are getting better every weekend. I think this will be a challenge for us on the road and hopefully we can carry the momentum from last weekend into this tournament.”
Last weekend, the Tigers swept the Hurricane Frances Invitational at home last weekend. LSU defeated Central Florida twice, 3-1 and 3-0, and won a marathon five-game match against Rice.
Senior Regan Hood was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while junior Ivana Kuzmic and sophomores Daniela Romero and Melody Clark were named to the all-tournament team for the Tigers.
Hood led LSU with a 3.25 kills per game average a .310 hitting percentage. In addition, she recorded 13 blocks and 28 digs. Against Rice, she recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 kills and 14 digs. She also led the match in kills in the first match against Central Florida and tied for the team lead in blocks.
Kuzmic led the team in blocking in all three matches and led the team in kills in the second match against Central Florida. Clark recorded the third most kills and the third-most blocks on the team, while hitting at a .250 clip. Romero recorded 122 assists, while picking up a career-high 22 digs against Rice along with a career-best 54 assists.
Texas enters the match after sweeping through the SMU Invitational last weekend and posting a win over Houston earlier this week. The Longhorns are receiving votes in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll and have not dropped a game this season. The Tigers are 4-16 all-time against Texas, having lost six straight to the Longhorns, although the pair have not met since 1994.
Despite an 0-3 record, Liberty began the season with three difficult matches. On the road in California, the Flames posted losses to No. 23 Long Beach State, and Utah and UC Irvine, which are receiving votes in the poll. This is the first meeting between LSU and Liberty.
Louisiana Tech dropped its season opener to Stephen F. Austin at home and then split four matches at the Arkansas State/American State Bank Volleyball Classic last weekend. The Lady Techsters lost to Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State before closing out with wins over Jackson State and Austin Peay. The Tigers are undefeated against Louisiana Tech, posting a 5-0 all-time record against the Lady Techsters.
After the Texas Invitational, LSU returns home to host the Tiger Classic next weekend. The Tigers will take on Stephen F. Austin and New Orleans in the two-day tournament.