KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Riding a six-match winning streak, the 18th-ranked LSU volleyball team will open Southeastern Conference play this weekend against No. 13 Tennessee in the Stokely Athletics Center on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT).
The Tigers (8-1, 0-0 SEC) have achieved their highest national ranking since hitting No. 15 on Sept. 6, 1993 and have posted a win over then nationally ranked Minnesota and a pair of wins over team receiving votes in the national poll. After advancing to the 2005 NCAA Final Four, the Lady Vols (8-1, 0-0 SEC) enter league competition on a three-match winning streak after dropping their only match of the year to No. 14 USC two weeks ago.
“We know this will be a battle because Tennessee is one of the favorites in the SEC coming off their Final Four season last year,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “They have high expectations and are playing with a high level of confidence. We will need to play well and be efficient to be successful.”
As a team, LSU leads Tennessee on the offensive side of the net; recording 16.7 kills per game, compared to 16.3 for the Lady Vols. Tennessee, however, posts a slightly high team hitting percentage at .268, while the Tigers hit .258 as a team.
Defensively, the Lady Vols leads LSU in blocks, posting 3.5 a game, compared to 2.8 for the Tigers. However, LSU leads Tennessee in digs per game, averaging 15.7, while Tennessee has 15.5. The Tigers rank third in the SEC in opponents hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a.127 clip, while the Lady Vols rank fifth at .149.
“I think the deciding factor will be the first ball, ball control,” said Flory. “If we can control our side of the net and play great defense, we should be successful.”
Freshman Lauren DeGirolamo leads the Tigers and ranks seventh in the nation with 1.72 blocks per game. After redshirting last year, the Belleville, Ill., native has recorded four matches with eight or more blocks this season. In addition, she is averaging 3.03 kills per game with a .344 hitting percentage.
Offensively, LSU is balanced with three players averaging over three kills a game and five players averaging over 2.4 kills per game. Sophomore Marina Skender leads the way with 3.55 kills per game. In addition, she is tied for the lead in the SEC with 0.79 service aces per game, which ranks 14th nationally.
Senior Kassi Mikulik leads the Tigers with 4.36 digs per game. The Flatonia, Texas, libero is just 36 digs from becoming just the seventh player in LSU history to record 1,000 career digs. Currently, she ranks fourth in the conference in digs per game.
Setter Daniela Romero leads the SEC and ranks 17th in the NCAA with 13.12 assists per game. She currently needs 112 assists to record her 3,500th career assist. In addition, she is 31 digs away from becoming the 25th player in LSU history to record 800 career digs.
Yuliya Stoyanova leads Tennessee and ranks third in the SEC with a 4.18 kills per game average, followed by Sarah Blum with 3.63 kills per game. Blum also leads the Lady Vols and the league with 1.85 blocks per game, while Kylie Marshall posts a team-best 2.84 digs per game.
“This should be an interesting match-up because Tennessee has a very unorthodox offense,” said Flory. “They have left handed players on the outside which has forced us to prepare a little differently this week. We have been really good at adapting to different styles of play this season so I don’t know if their different style will be a factor.”
LSU leads the all-time series with Tennessee, 25-15, but trails the Lady Vols, 9-8, in Knoxville. The Tigers are 4-2 in their last six meetings with Tennessee. Last season, LSU swept the Lady Vols in Fayetteville, Ark., in a match moved to a neutral site due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Tigers will remain on the road to take on Kentucky on Sunday. LSU will face the Wildcats at 1 p.m. (CT) in Memorial Coliseum. The match will be televised live on SEC-TV in Baton Rouge on Fox Sports Southwest (cable channel 38). The Tigers will return home next weekend to face South Carolina and Georgia for their first home matches since the season opening weekend.