BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team is riding a five-match winning streak as the Tigers welcome No. 6 Florida to the Maravich Center Sunday at 6 p.m. for a nationally-televised match on ESPNU.
Florida is the third Top-10 opponent that LSU has faced in 2009. The Tigers took No. 5 Stanford and No. 6 Nebraska to five sets earlier this season.
“Florida is always a match our team points to,” head coach Fran Flory said. “They’re the ones that we’re all shooting to catch. Tomorrow, the goal for us is to contest every swing on defense and get into our transition offense.”
LSU (12-4, 6-1 SEC) is coming off a 3-0 dismissal of South Carolina Friday where Sam Dabbs tallied a complete performance with nine kills, 34 assists and 12 digs. Her 10.63 assists per set rank second in the SEC and has upped her average to 11.12 helpers per frame in league matches to pace the SEC.
Marina Skender powered home 12 kills and reeled in 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. She has popped double-digit kills in 11 straight matches and belted 70 kills on a .323 hitting percentage during her last five outings. Skender also has knocked 11 aces over her last five matches and her 0.39 per set average ranks third in the SEC.
Michele Williams and Brittnee Cooper combined for 17 kills and nine blocks to control the front row against the Gamecocks. Both ranked inside the SEC’s Top 10 in blocks per set, while Cooper’s .384 hitting percentage headlines the SEC.
Lauren Waclawczyk and Sam Delahoussaye anchor the back row as LSU converted on 24-of-29 sideout attempts in the first two sets against South Carolina. Waclawczyk has reached that feat six of her last seven outings. Her 3.96 digs per set in conference matches are eighth in the SEC.
Florida (12-2, 6-1 SEC) picked up a four-set win Wednesday over South Carolina as Kelly Murphy compiled her nation-leading fourth triple-double of the season with 12 kills, 25 assists and 17 digs. Colleen Ward added 18 kills against the Gamecocks and is fifth in the SEC with 3.45 kills per set.
“Kelly is an outstanding player and the real deal,” Flory said. “I don’t think you can stop her, you can limit her touches. She is a superstar in our league and we hope to we take some of those shots away from her in certain rotations.”
Cassandra Anderson ranks third in the SEC in blocks per set with 1.23 and is coming off a career-high-tying 10-block performance versus South Carolina. Elyse Cusack is sixth in the SEC with 4.04 digs per set.
Live stats for the Florida match are available on LSUsports.net and fans also can follow in-match updates of the defending four-time SEC Western champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.
Tickets are now on-sale at www.LSUSports.net, the official Web site of LSU Athletics. Tickets also can be purchased at the ticket office on the first floor of the Athletics Administration Building or by calling (225) 578-2184. LSU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a valid LSU ID.
LSU volleyball also is offering the Friends and Family Pass where fans receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for only $20.