BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball teams steps out of Southeastern Conference play to take on Rice on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the road at Autry Court, in a match that was recently added to the schedule.
The Tigers (9-2) defeated the Owls (11-2) earlier this season in Baton Rouge in the Hurricane Frances Invitational, 3-2. LSU had its six-match winning streak ended against No. 5 Florida on Sunday, while Rice has won four straight, including a win over then No. 20 Loyola Marymount.
In their first meeting, the Tigers won the first game and the third game, while the Owls took the second game. In the fourth game, LSU trailed 21-3 before a 10-3 run by the Tigers cut the Rice lead to 24-13, but could not get any closer. In the fifth game, LSU went on a 9-3 run to break a 6-6 tie and win the match.
“This is a good opportunity for us to play a team a second round,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We get to see the adjustments they make against us and we get to adjust to what we did against them. I the SEC we get to do this quite often. We have a game plan for a team and now we get to see how we respond to that.
Since their previous meeting, the pair has lost only three matches combined, all of which were to nationally ranked teams. The Tigers have losses to No. 22 Texas and the No. 5 Gators, while the Owls’ only loss was to No. 1 Minnesota, which they took to five games.
“Since the last time we played, Rice has had some significant wins,” said Flory. “Having beaten them at our place, we know they will be coming after us. It will be somewhat of a revenge match for them on their court. It will be a good experience for our team to play in a hostile environment because Rice will have something to prove against us.
In their earlier meeting, Jelena Mijatovic led the Tigers with 18 kills, one of four players in double figures with kills. Regan Hood added 17 kills and 14 digs for her first double-double of the season. Melody Clark and Kassi Mikulik added 14 and 13 kills respectively.
Daniela Romero also recorded a double-double, posting 54 assists and a team-best 22 digs. Ivana Kuzmic knocked back a match-best nine blocks, including four solo blocks. Rachel Pittman and Michelle Hensgens also recorded double-figure dig totals with 15 and 12 each.
Owl Lindsey Carter led the match with 25 kills, while Rebeca Pazo added 15. Five Rice players were in double-figures with digs, including Olaya Pazo and Yvette Kirk with 22 and 20 respectively. Tessa Kuykendall posted eight blocks to lead the Owls.
“This will be an opportunity for us to get back on track,” said Flory. “We can be a great team if we play together. We need to go out there and enjoy playing the game. We did not accomplish some of our goals last weekend and we will try to bounce back. I think this could be a positive turnaround for this team.”
LSU returns home for a pair of SEC matches this weekend against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The Tigers will take on the Bulldogs (9-6, 1-1 SEC) on Friday at 7 p.m. before hosting the Rebels (7-6, 0-2 SEC) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.