FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Riding an 12-game winning streak, the longest since 1991, the 10th-ranked LSU volleyball team will try to make it 13 in a row as the Tigers travel to face Arkansas on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Barnhill Arena.
Live statistics will be available on the official LSU athletics website, LSUsports.net. In addition, a live video webcast of the match will be available at www.ladybacks.com.
The Tigers (14-1, 6-0 SEC) are the only remaining undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference and have achieved their highest national ranking since Sept. 1992 when LSU was ranked No. 8. Posting a 7-1 record during the pre-conference schedule, the Lady Razorbacks (10-4, 3-3 SEC) are coming off a five-game loss to Ole Miss at home on Sunday after winning three straight.
“The LSU-Arkansas match is always a war,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “Arkansas is a solid team that has won the west for a number of years and has been the team that everyone else has been chasing. They have lost a few matches this year, but they are a strong team and we know that this is a long season and anyone can make a run at any point.”
Although Arkansas holds a commanding 22-4 lead in the overall series, LSU has won two of the last four meetings. The series record is a bit deceptive in that the Lady’Backs won the first 12 meetings before the Tigers earned their first win in 2000.
Since then, LSU has won four of the last 14 meetings to make the series much more competitive. In addition, the Tigers earned a pair of wins over South Carolina and Tennessee in Fayetteville last season in matches that were moved due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“Both teams are very physical and have battled back and forth over the last few years after Arkansas had a long streak of wins going,” said Flory. “We had not beaten them or had not won in their gym until recently. We also know that an SEC win on the road would be very beneficial down the stretch. We have had some recent success there and we feel good about our chances, but we know that we are going to have to play our style and execute at a high level.
As a team, LSU leads Arkansas on the offensive side of the net; with an SEC-best 16.7 kills per game, compared to 14.6 for the Lady’Backs. In addition, the Tigers lead Arkansas in hitting percentage, with a .240 mark, compared to just a .218 clip for the Lady’Backs.
Defensively, the pair are even with 16.3 digs per game, while Arkansas holds a slight advantage over LSU with 3.2 blocks per game, compared to 3.1 for the Tigers. LSU leads the SEC in opponents hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a.123 clip, while the Lady’Backs rank sixth at .178.
“Arkansas runs a very fast offense and they hit the ball extremely hard,” said Flory. “They are also very physical and are a very solid blocking team, one of the best blocking teams in the conference. We are going to have to be in sync and in system to be efficient and be efficient.”
Freshman Lauren DeGirolamo leads the Tigers and ranks fourth in the nation with 1.83 blocks per game. The Belleville, Ill., native has recorded six matches with eight or more blocks this season, including back-to-back double-figure blocking matches against Tennessee and Kentucky. In addition, she is averaging 3.23 kills per game with a team-best .338 hitting percentage.
Offensively, LSU is balanced with four players averaging over three kills a game. Sophomore Marina Skender leads the way with 3.56 kills per game. In addition, she leads in the SEC with 0.72 service aces per game, which ranks fourth nationally.
Senior Kassi Mikulik leads the Tigers with 4.44 digs per game. The Flatonia, Texas, libero became just the seventh person in LSU history to record 1,000 career digs and now needs 34 digs to move into sixth place in Tiger volleyball career history. In addition, she ranks fourth in the SEC in digs per game and fourth in career digs per game in LSU history.
Setter Daniela Romero leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 13.24 assists per game. She currently needs 33 assists to move into third place in career assists in LSU history. In addition, she is 79 digs away from breaking into the top 10 in career digs in Tiger volleyball history.
Denitza Koleva leads Arkansas with 3.63 kills per game, the only Lady’Back averaging over three kills per game. Defensively, three players are averaging over a block a game, led by Destiny Clark with 1.59 blocks per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Ashley Miller leads Arkansas with 4.89 digs per game, followed by Koleva with 3.11 digs per game.
Following Wednesday’s match, the Tigers will remain on the road. LSU will travel to face Alabama on Sunday. The Tigers have not won in Tuscaloosa since 2001 and the Crimson Tide are currently second behind LSU in the SEC Western Division.
The following weekend, the Tigers will travel to take on Auburn and nationally ranked Florida. LSU will next be at home on Oct. 20 for a rematch with Kentucky before facing off once again with nationally ranked Tennessee on Oct. 22.