BATON ROUGE — In a match-up of the top two volleyball programs in the Southeastern Conference Western Division, the 20th-ranked LSU volleyball team will host Alabama on Friday night as the Tigers kick off the “Dig for the Cure” campaign to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
As part of the LSU “Dig for the Cure” campaign, admission is FREE for any fan wearing pink. Both the Tigers and Crimson Tide will warm up in specially designed pink shirts and LSU will don the shirts again, along with Arkansas, against the Lady’Backs on Oct. 19 as the Tigers close out their campaign.
The first 200 fans against Alabama will also receive a Piggy Bank that they are encouraged to take home and collect change in throughout the month. Fans are then asked to bring those filled piggy banks to the match against Arkansas and donate the spare change to breast cancer research. Fans returning their piggy banks will receive free admission and, after making their donation, will get to keep their piggy banks. Those returning the change from their piggy banks will also have a chance to win great prizes throughout the Arkansas match.
“We are launching our ?Dig for the Cure’ campaign and we are going to have all sorts of ways to contribute to help fight breast cancer,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “People can pledge per dig for our matches. It starts Friday against Alabama and ends against Arkansas on the 19th of October.”
LSU (13-2, 5-1 SEC) is currently tied with Alabama (8-7, 5-1 SEC) in the SEC Western Division standings, one game behind Florida for the overall conference lead. The only SEC loss for either team this season was against the nationally ranked Gators in four games. The Tigers and Crimson Tide finished 1-2 respectively in the SEC West standings last year, with LSU winning its second-straight divisional championship.
“We’re excited about being at home this weekend,” said Flory. “Alabama has been right with us in seeking the SEC West Championship. They are playing very, very well. With a senior laden team, they feel like this is their year. It will be a very tough match for us.”
The Tigers enter the weekend having won two straight matches and eight of their last nine. On the road last weekend, LSU came from a game behind to defeat Auburn before becoming the first team to sweep Georgia in three games. After struggling in non-conference play to open the season, Alabama was on a roll in league play until falling to Florida last weekend. Winning only three pre-conference matches, Alabama bounced back to open the SEC slate with a perfect 5-0 record before falling to the Gators.
“I think we are in a very, very good spot right now,” said Flory. “Our team has kind of made it through the tough part. Any volleyball coach knows that the first two weeks of October define someone’s season. Our wins on the road this past weekend are going to end up being signature wins for us.”
For the season, LSU leads Alabama in almost every statistical category. The Tigers are averaging 15.4 kills per game, while the Crimson Tide are posting only 14.8. In addition, LSU has a .224 team hitting percentage, boosted by a .328 mark against Georgia last weekend, while Alabama has hit only .211 this year. The Tigers lead the SEC with 2.2 service aces per game, while the Crimson Tide average only 1.7 per frame.
Defensively, LSU leads Alabama in averaging 2.9 blocks per game, while the Crimson Tide average 2.1. Alabama, however, leads the Tigers in digs per game, coming in with 17.9 per game, compared to 16.1 per frame for LSU. The Tigers are second in the conference in allowing opponents to hit only .140 against them, as the Crimson Tide allow opponents to hit .220.
Offensively, junior Kyna Washington leads LSU and ranks third in the conference with 4.18 kills per game. The two-time SEC Player of the Week also leads the league with 0.67 service aces per game and has recorded an ace in 13 of the Tigers’ 15 matches this season, including nine matches with three or more aces. Four additional Tigers are also averaging over two kills per game, including Lauren DeGirolamo with 3.27 kills per game, Brittnee Cooper at 2.83, Angela Bensend with 2.49 and Marina Skender at 2.46.
DeGirolamo leads the Tigers and ranks sixth in the SEC with a .353 hitting percentage. In addition, the sophomore leads LSU and ranks fifth in the league with 1.43 blocks per game. Cooper is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and close behind DeGirolamo in the conference blocking standings by ranking sixth in the league with 1.42 blocks per game.
Junior Elena Martinez continues to lead the SEC with an amazing 5.70 digs per game. In her first season as the starting libero, Martinez broke the school five-game dig record with 34 against Iowa and the four-game dig record with 33 against Arkansas. She has posted eight 20-dig matches in 15 attempts this year, including six straight at one point in the season.
The Crimson Tide are led by Crystal Hudson with 4.02 kills per game and Bridget Fuentez with 3.50 kills per game, the only pair from the same team to rank in the top 10 in the SEC in kills per game. Hudson also leads Alabama and ranks seventh in the league with a .342 hitting percentage, and is the only Crimson Tide player averaging over a block per game. Amy Pauly leads Alabama with 4.93 digs per game, one of two Crimson Tide players averaging over three digs per game.
LSU holds a slight advantage in the overall series with Alabama, 22-21. Last season, the pair split the season series, with each team posting a home victory. The Tigers have dominated the Crimson Tide in the Maravich Center, winning three straight and five of the last six meetings dating back to 2000, while Alabama dominates at home in the CAVE against LSU, winning six straight meetings dating back to 2000.
The month-long “Dig for the Cure” campaign will help to raise money for breast cancer awareness through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, formerly known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Donations will be accepted throughout the month of October, which has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with the proceeds of the campaign going directly to the Komen Foundation.
Fans are asked to make pledges at any of the SEC matches in October for every dig the Tigers record against Alabama and Arkansas, or they can make direct monetary contributions at any of the SEC matches. Representatives from the Komen Foundation will be on hand at the matches to accept donations, along with several fan friendly fundraisers that will help raise money throughout the month.
The “Dig for the Cure” campaign was originally started in 2003 by Charlotte head coach Lisa Marston, whose mother was a breast cancer survivor, and has spread to volleyball programs across the country in recent years. Last year, the campaign raised over $72,000 nationally.
In addition, fans can donate a quarter to the special wishing well at the Ole Miss match on Oct. 17 and have the opportunity to have their LSU wish come true. Among the wish items that will be available is an LSU volleyball autographed by the nationally ranked Tiger team. Several of the special pink warm-up shirts will also be autographed by the LSU volleyball team and auctioned off through the LSU athletics auction website, LSUauction.net.
LSU and Mizuno are encouraging youth volleyball teams to come to the match as part of “Mizuno Team Day” against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m. Local teams get into the match for FREE with “Advocate” tickets available through the LSU Promotions Office at (225) 578-8960. In addition, the first 100 fans will receive FREE wristbands. Senior citizens will also get into the match for free as they can spend the afternoon watching volleyball and playing bingo.