AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU volleyball team will close out its road trip through Alabama with a match at Auburn on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Student Activities Center.
The purple and gold were 3-0 losers to Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday night and are now 9-6 overall and 1-4 in Southeastern Conference play. AU fell to Arkansas on Friday night, 3-2 and is now 6-7 overall and 1-4 in SEC play.
“We have to get back to fundamental volleyball,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We have to get back to having fun playing volleyball and taking care business on our side of the net. If we can do that, then we can be successful. Auburn is a much improved team, but we have to concentrate on us and the things we do.”
Senior Regan Hood now needs just 16 kills to become the 13th player in LSU history with 1,000 career kills. The Carrollton, Texas, native also moved into a tie for 10th place in career block solos in school history against Alabama on Friday with her 69th solo block.
While the two Tiger teams are almost evenly matched offensively, LSU has posted much more impressive numbers defensively. While Auburn averages 14.5 kills per game, LSU has 14.3, and both teams average 1.7 service aces per game. The purple and gold, however, average 2.9 blocks per game and 13.8 digs per game, while AU averages 2.0 blocks per game and 12.0 digs per game.
Junior Jelena Mijatovic leads LSU with 2.81 kills per game, followed by junior Ivana Kuzmic with 2.80. Mijatovic also leads the SEC with 0.60 service aces per game, while Kuzmic leads the league with 1.66 blocks per game.
Senior Rachel Pittman leads the purple and gold with 2.93 digs per game and sophomore Daniela Romero ranks fifth in the SEC with 10.80 assists per game.
For Auburn, Ashlee Johns leads the team with 3.92 kills per game, while Jennifer Amobi averages 3.45 kills per game. Whitney Jacob leads AU with 0.89 blocks per game and Bailey Veit has a team-best 2.58 digs per game. Maira Mogollon posts 11.29 assists per game, while Johns also leads the team with 0.35 service aces per game.
LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn, 22-11, but is 5-7 in Auburn. The purple and gold, however, have won five straight, including three in Auburn, and six of the last seven.
LSU will remain on the road next weekend as the Tigers travel for rematches with No. 8 Florida and Georgia. LSU will face the Gators on Friday at 8 p.m. (CT) and the Bulldogs on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (CT). The Tigers lost to Florida, 3-0, earlier in the season at home, and swept the Georgia, 3-0, in the Maravich Center to open SEC play.