BATON ROUGE ? After splitting a pair of home matches last weekend to open SEC action, the LSU volleyball team starts a four-match league road swing Friday at Auburn.
LSU (7-4, 1-1 SEC) has won 20 straight matches against SEC Western Division opponents dating back to the 2006 season in addition to 15 consecutive decisions over Auburn.
“We have got to be a great road team, and we’ve told the players from the start of the season how important it is,” head coach Fran Flory said. “All SEC matches are vital if you’re going to have a championship type season that we’re hoping for. This trip [Auburn & Georgia] wasn’t good last year and it’s going to be a trip that tests us.”
Katherine Culwell, Morgan Johns and Sarah Bullock give Auburn (9-4, 1-1 SEC) a balanced offensive attack with over 100 kills apiece. AU’s back row is headlined by reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week Liz Crouch. Her 4.00 digs per set ranks fifth in the SEC and tallied a career-best 31 digs in Auburn’s 3-0 win over Mississippi State.
“Auburn is young but has increased their athleticism,” Flory said. “We have to jump on them early in sets. When you a play a young team, you don’t want to allow them to get hot in their building.”
LSU is receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 for the fifth consecutive weekend and looks to bounce back after a 3-0 setback to No. 16 Kentucky.
Marina Skender ranks second on the squad posting 2.81 kills and 2.56 digs per set. She continues to climb up the program list in both categories and enters the weekend 22 digs away from passing Lisa Smith (1984-87) for the No. 8 position.
Michele Williams and Brittnee Cooper contributed 21 kills each last weekend. Williams connected for a .300 hitting percentage, while opponents keyed on Cooper to limit her to a .182 clip. Both Cooper’s 3.44 kills per set and .355 overall hitting percentage rank fifth in the SEC.
“The team answered the call after we talked in the locker room after Sunday’s match,” Flory said. “They realized it was a disappointment and a lost opportunity. The players also understood that you get out of things what you put into them. We can’t be a one-shot wonder team. We have to play two matches every weekend from here on out.”
Sam Dabbs ranks second in the SEC and passes out 10.20 assists per set. She distributed a career-best 56 assists Friday against Tennessee but was limited to 28 helpers Sunday against No. 16 Kentucky.
“Sam is the team’s security blanket,” Flory said. “She was excellent on Friday but struggled Sunday. When she goes, the team goes. It’s a tough role to play and an unfair position to be in at times. She’s a senior that has been through the battles, and I believe she’ll rally.”
Lauren Waclawczyk anchors LSU back row defense and her 3.40 digs per set are just outside the SEC Top 10. She corralled a career-best 26 digs against Tennessee. Sam Delahoussaye also chipped in back-to-back double-digit dig performances on SEC opening weekend.
First serve is slated for 6 p.m. inside the Student Activities Center. Fans can receive in-match updates of the defending four-time SEC Western champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball. Live stats also are available at LSUsports.net.