COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Entering the fourth weekend of a now seven weekend road trip, the LSU volleyball team is traveling to College Station, Texas, to participate in the relocated Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic on Friday and Sunday.
The Tigers (8-1) will face Arizona State on Friday at noon before closing out play on Sunday at 11 a.m. against No. 8 Notre Dame. LSU had been scheduled to face Tulane in the original schedule with the tournament being held in New Orleans, but due to Hurricane Katrina, the tournament was moved the scheduled reworked. The Green Wave will participate in the tournament, but face only the Sun Devils and the Fighting Irish at their new home on the campus of Texas A&M.
“This is our last opportunity to compete against an out of conference opponent,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We know that it is our last chance, but we also think this will be our best opportunity to compete throughout our preseason.
“Arizona State is in the tough Pac-10 and they are an up-and-comer in that conference,” said Flory. “Notre Dame is ranked eighth in the nation and has an outstanding program.”
Last weekend, LSU participated in the prestigious UTSA Dome Rally in San Antonio. The Tigers swept the host Roadrunners before falling to then No. 15 Texas A&M in five games. LSU rebounded to sweep Rice, which was receiving votes in the national poll, to close out tournament action.
“We feel like we are very prepared for this weekend,” said Flory. “I think we showed some positive strides last weekend and we gained confidence in ourselves. The reality will once again be whether or not we can raise our level of competitiveness and efficiency.”
Based on their start to the year, the best beginning since the 1991 season, the Tigers are now receiving votes in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches poll for the first time under Flory. LSU will, however, be tested against a pair of challenging foes this weekend.
Arizona State, though coming in at 4-4, has lost three of its four matches to nationally ranked opponents. The Sun Devils dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions to No. 23 St. Mary’s (Calif.) and then No. 11 Texas. ASU also fell, 3-2, to No. 8 Notre Dame, in one of the Fighting Irish’s closest matches of the season.
The Sun Devils are coming off a tournament sweep in the Wyndham Buttes Classic in Tempe, Ariz., last weekend. Arizona State swept Northern Arizona and Auburn before downing Texas State, 3-1, to claim the tournament championship.
Notre Dame enters the tournament this weekend with a perfect 8-0 mark. The Fighting Irish jumped 11 spots in the poll from No. 19 to No. 8 last week after sweeping through their three matches in the UTSA Dome Rally. Notre Dame posted a win over No. 8 USC, 3-1, and sweeps of Oklahoma and No. 6 Florida.
For the season, the Fighting Irish have wins over three top 25-ranked teams, including two ranked in the top 10 at the time. Notre Dame also defeated then No. 11 Texas in the Shamrock Invitational in South Bend two weeks ago.
On the court, LSU is led by a pair of outstanding seniors, who account for over 40 percent of the Tigers’ kills and blocks on the season. Jelena Mijatovic was named to the UTSA Dome Rally all-tournament team last weekend. The senior outside hitter leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks 25th in the NCAA in kills per game with 4.88. In addition, she leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the nation with a 0.88 service aces per game average.
Senior Ivana Kuzmic is the current SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The middle blocker ranks second in the SEC and 10th in the NCAA in blocks per game at 1.70. She posted her first double-figure blocking match of the season with 10 vs. Texas A&M last weekend. She is now close to a pair of milestones, needing just 10 blocks to reach 600 and 24 kills for 1,000 in her career.
Junior Kassi Mikulik leads the Tigers and ranks eighth in the SEC in digs per game. The converted outside hitter is averaging 3.61 digs per game as the libero and is tied for second on the team with 11 service aces.
Following the tournament, LSU will remain on the road to open SEC play next weekend. The Tigers were scheduled to open conference action at home, but due to Hurricane Katrina, the matches have been moved to Fayetteville, Ark.
LSU will now take on South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m. before closing out the weekend against No. 16 Tennessee on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The matches will be played as part of doubleheaders with Arkansas. The Lady’Backs, as LSU’s travel partner in volleyball, face the same SEC teams the Tigers do each weekend.
“We feel like this weekend will be great practice for our SEC opening weekend in Arkansas,” said Flory. “In terms of the dates and the schedules being very similar, it could not have worked out any better for us and now we just need to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Due to these schedule changes, LSU’s first home match has been delayed until Oct. 14 against Mississippi State. The Tigers will have been on the road for seven consecutive weekends, having played 17 road matches, to start the season before returning home to the Maravich Center in mid-October.
NOKIA SUGAR BOWL CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 16
Noon – LSU vs. Arizona State
2 p.m. – Tulane vs. Notre Dame
Sunday, Sept. 18
11 a.m. – LSU vs. Notre Dame
1 p.m. – Tulane vs. Arizona State