LEXINGTON, Ky. — After coming from a 2-0 deficit to top No. 13 Tennessee on Friday, the 18th-ranked LSU volleyball team will take a seven-match winning streak into Kentucky as the Tigers take on the Wildcats on Sunday 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). Live statistics will also be available on the official LSU athletics website, LSUsports.net.
With their win on Friday, the Tigers are now 9-1 on the season and 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play. LSU has won seven straight since their only loss of the season, a five-match decision to No. 2 Penn State on Aug. 26. Kentucky enters the match after sweeping Arkansas on Friday and stands at 8-1 overall and 1-0 in league play, having won five straight of its own.
“Kentucky is a very solid team and they will be very prepared for this match,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “They are a team that makes you beat them. They do not error themselves out of matches.”
As a team, the Tigers and Wildcats are almost even in every statistical category. LSU is averaging 16.8 kills per game with a .252 hitting percentage, while Kentucky posts 16.7 kills per game and a .266 attacking mark. Additionally, each team is averaging 2.0 service aces per game.
“They do not play at the same fast tempo as us, so we think that if we can control the tempo and run our offense then we can be successful,” said Flory. “Ball control will once again be the deciding factor in the match because they are a tough serving team.”
Defensively, the Tigers lead the Wildcats with 2.9 blocks per game compared to 2.3 per game for Kentucky. In addition, LSU holds a slight advantage in digs per game, averaging 15.5 a game, while the Wildcats come in at 15.2. The Tigers are also holding opponents to a .132 attacking percentage, while Kentucky’s opponents are hitting .151 this season.
Freshman Lauren DeGirolamo leads the Tigers and ranks seventh in the nation with 1.76 blocks per game. After redshirting last year, the Belleville, Ill., native has recorded five matches with eight or more blocks this season, including a season high 10 against Tennessee on Friday. In addition, she is averaging 3.05 kills per game with a .341 hitting percentage.
Offensively, LSU is balanced with four players averaging over three kills a game and five players averaging over 2.5 kills per game. Sophomore Marina Skender leads the way with 3.66 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 4.18 digs per game. The Flatonia, Texas, libero is just 19 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 13.34 assists per game. She currently needs 38 assists to record her 3,500th career assist. In addition, she is 14 digs away from becoming the 25th player in LSU history to record 800 career digs.
Nicole Britenriker leads Kentucky with 4.16 kills per game, followed by Queen Nzenwa with 3.31 and Ashlee Fisher with 3.31. Nzenwa leads the Wildcats with 1.06 blocks per game, while Jenni Casper leads Kentucky with 5.09 digs per game.
“They have very physical middles and the addition of transfer Nicole Britenriker from Ohio State is a huge plus for them,” said Flory. “It has balanced out their line-up. Kentucky is a tough team that can also frustrate you because they challenge you to hit better shots. We just have to keep plugging away and remain focused on what we do on our side of the net.”
The Tigers trail the overall series with the Wildcats, 23-18. Last year, LSU and Kentucky split a pair of meetings, with each winning the match at home, including the Tigers’ five-game winner in the PMAC to conclude the regular season and give LSU a share of the SEC Western Division title.
The Tigers will return home next weekend to face South Carolina and Georgia for their first home matches since the season opening weekend.