STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The LSU volleyball team wraps up its four-match SEC road swing Sunday at Mississippi State inside the Newell-Grissom Building. The Tigers have won the last six meetings, including 18 of 22 sets against the Bulldogs.
“Mississippi State is playing extremely hard under their new coach Jenny Hazelwood,” head coach Fran Flory said. “They have a different level of confidence and it’s going to be another tough match on the road.”
LSU (10-4, 4-1 SEC) picked up a 3-1 victory over Alabama last time out to overtake the Crimson Tide for the SEC Western Division lead. The Tigers also notched their 22nd consecutive win over its fellow division foes dating back to the 2006 season as Marina Skender matched a season-high with 19 kills. She has reached double-figure kills in her last nine matches and paces the SEC with 4.11 kills per set in league matches.
Angela Bensend ripped season-bests with 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage. Sam Dabbs dished out a match-high 52 assists and fueled LSU to a .344 team hitting percentage. Dabbs also headlines the SEC and has averaged 11.39 assists per set in league matches.
Brittnee Cooper headlines the Tiger attack with 178 kills on a SEC best .376 hitting percentage. She also has racked up a team-best 66 blocks at a 1.25 per set ratio, second in the SEC.
Lauren Waclawczyk has reached double-figure digs in 10 of her 12 starts, including a stretch of five straight matches at defensive specialist.
Mississippi State (4-12, 0-5 SEC) held a 12-10 fifth-set advantage at Alabama before the Crimson Tide reeled off five straight points for the win. The Bulldogs are led by Ashley Newsome’s 184 kills and 55 blocks.
First serve against the Bulldogs is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT with live stats available on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the defending four-time SEC Western champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.