COLUMBIA, S.C. — After sweeping Georgia on the road on Friday, the 10th-ranked LSU volleyball team remains on the road to face South Carolina on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (CT) in the Volleyball Competition Facility.
Having won three straight and four of their last five, the Tigers are now 19-3 on the season and 10-2 in Southeastern Conference play. LSU is currently two games ahead of Alabama in the SEC Western Division standings and a game behind Florida overall. The Gamecocks dropped to 12-12 overall and 5-8 in league action after falling to Arkansas in three games on Friday.
“South Carolina on its home court is traditionally a very tough match,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “I think many teams have come in here and struggled. They beat Florida here early in the season. We are going to have to control the environment a little bit. It is a tight gym and an exciting gym. Traditionally it has been a tough place to play so we know that we are going to have to come ready to play. I think it will be a great match up in the SEC.”
In their first meeting this season, the Tigers swept South Carolina in three games, 30-25, 33-31, 30-28, in Baton Rouge on Sept. 22. As a team, LSU recorded 55 digs, compared to just 44 for the Gamecocks, and out hit USC, .204 to .177. Defensively, South Carolina out blocked the Tigers, 10-9. In addition, the Gamecocks posted 50 digs to just 46 for the Tigers.
Sophomore Kyna Washington led LSU and the match with 15 kills, including nine in the first game. Freshman Lauren DeGirolamo posted 10 kills, while sophomore Marina Skender and senior Melody Clark each recorded 10. Eight of Skender’s 10 kills came in the final game of the match.
DeGirolamo led the Tigers with five blocks, while Clark and Daniela Romero each recorded five blocks each. Romero posted a team-best 40 assists, while recording nine digs, as senior Kassi Mikulik led the match with 14 digs.
Shonda Cole of South Carolina, one of the nation’s top kill leaders, was held to just 13 kills, while Belita Salters posted 11 for the Gamecocks. Ivana Kujundzic led the match with six blocks, while Alexcis Thomson led South Carolina with 11 digs.
“They have one of the premiere players in the league in Cole,” said Flory. “She leads the conference and is in the top two or three in the nation in kills per game. Defensively we are going to have to play very well.”
For the season, LSU leads the Gamecocks on the offensive side of the net; leading the SEC with 16.9 kills per game, compared to 14.9 for the Gamecocks. The Tigers also post a slightly high team hitting percentage at .235, while South Carolina hits .229 as a team.
Defensively, the LSU holds a rather commanding lead over the Gamecocks in blocks, posting 3.0 a game, compared to 2.4 for USC. The Tigers also lead South Carolina in digs per game, averaging 17.2, while the Gamecocks have just 14.0. The Tigers rank second in the SEC in opponents hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a.146 clip, while South Carolina ranks 10th at .208.
DeGirolamo leads the Tigers and ranks sixth in the nation with 1.68 blocks per game. The Belleville, Ill., native has recorded eight matches with eight or more blocks this season. In addition, she is averaging 3.09 kills per game with a team-best .323 hitting percentage.
Offensively, LSU is balanced with four players averaging over three kills a game and six players averaging over two kills per game. Skender leads the way with 3.86 kills per game. In addition, she leads in the SEC with 0.73 service aces per game, which ranks sixth nationally.
Mikulik leads the Tigers with 4.68 digs per game. The Flatonia, Texas, libero is just 25 digs from breaking into the top 10 in single-season digs in LSU history. Currently, she ranks fourth in the conference in digs per game.
Setter Daniela Romero leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 13.53 assists per game. She currently needs three assists to become just the second Tiger to post 4,000 for her career. In addition, she is only 11 digs away breaking into the top 10 in career digs in LSU history.
Cole has single-handedly been the offense for South Carolina this season. She leads the Gamecocks and the SEC and ranks third in the NCAA in kills per game, averaging an amazing 5.79 per game, while only one other USC player is averaging over two kills per game. Defensively, Salters leads South Carolina with 0.98 blocks per game and Thomson averages a team best 3.46 digs per game.
South Carolina leads the all-time series with LSU, 11-10, but the Tigers have won the last four meetings. LSU now leads the overall series in Columbia, 4-3, having won two-straight against the Gamecocks in the Volleyball Competition Facility.
LSU now returns home to face nationally ranked Florida at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. The Tigers fell to the Gators in Gainesville two weeks ago, one of only two losses for LSU in SEC play this season. The Tigers will then take on Auburn on Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m.
Students are encouraged to come out against No. 7 Florida for “Gold Digger Student Night”. It is the Student Point game and “Gold Digger” t-shirts will be given away.
Mizuno is helping youth volleyball as part of “Mizuno Team Day” against Auburn. Local teams get into the match free with “Advocate” tickets available through the LSU Promotions office at 578-8960. In addition, LSU backpacks will be given away at the match.