BATON ROUGE — LSU volleyball head coach Fran Flory met with the media Tuesday on the fifth floor of the Athletics/Administration Building to preview the week ahead for the Tigers.
LSU (14-1, 5-1 SEC) is ranked No. 15 in the latest edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll and are in sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division standings.
The Tigers open a three-match homestand Friday against Kentucky at 7 p.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m., Sunday tilt against No. 22 Tennessee inside the Maravich Center.
Friday’s match is “Daddy-Daughter Date Night” where fans can receive a free youth ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket.
On Sunday, the servicemen and women of Louisiana will be honored as part of the Salute the Troops match. Fans can gain free admission by wearing any service t-shirt. The first 500 fans also receive LSU volleyball dog tags.
Live video and live stats will be available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team’s official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
Below are Flory’s quotes from the media session.
Volleyball Press Conference – October 5, 2010
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
Opening statement…
“Since I last spoke to you we went on a great run and then, gave one away at Florida. I think our team learned a great deal from our first loss of the year. Last year at this point, if I would have said we would be 14-1 at this point next season, I would have said, ‘somebody’s crazy.’ I can’t tell you what a great group of players that our staff has put together. They are committed to each other, and the best part about our kids is they play hard for and with each other. They were very upset about the loss to Florida, and honestly I will shoulder a large portion of the blame. I didn’t manage them well going into that match. We will do a better job next time. We made it about trying to win a championship, and that’s not who we are. We have to be a team that focuses on the task at hand, the next touch, the next point, the next match, whatever that may be, and we lost that perspective. I don’t think I did a great job of managing that. You always learn a whole lot more when you lose than when you win, and it was our first opportunity to bounce back.
“We bounced back against a solid South Carolina squad on Sunday. That’s a place that is tough to play. I was very, very proud of the response of our team after coming off of our first loss, so this next seven-day period from Friday to Friday is a tell-tale time for our team. We have Kentucky, a team that we have struggled against for the last two or three years. They are a big, physical team. We have Tennessee coming in ranked very high and an RPI ranking of No. 9. We have a huge match on ESPNU on the following Wednesday against Arkansas, a team very athletic and talented but very young, and then we travel that next Friday to Ole Miss. Ole Miss is right behind us in the SEC West and again another young, athletic team so a huge challenge for our team. I think we’re prepared, and I think we’ll have a great week of practice. I appreciate the attitude our kids have brought. Michele Williams, a great leader, has had a great run. On Friday against Florida, she tried to put this team on her shoulders and say, ‘I’m going to be the one.’ We just couldn’t quite get the ball to her enough to make that happen. Angela Bensend is carrying a huge load and doing a great job. Desiree Elliott has been named SEC Freshman of the Week two times. I told you earlier that she was going to be the real deal, and she certainly is.
“We have some great promotions coming up. ‘Salute the Troops’ on Sunday is something very dear to my heart. I hope that the public will come out and do a great job of supporting our troops and what those people sacrifice for our country and our freedom. These kids play hard. It’s fun; it’s a family environment. We are hopeful we’ll have great crowds.”
On how the team has been able to perform so well to this point…
“I think No. 1, our leadership is great. I think Angela Bensend decided she was going to be great. Last spring and through the summer, she’s been a workhorse. During her first three years, she was in the shadows and maybe not appreciated for the role that she’s played forever. Now, she has put this team on her shoulders, stepped into that leadership role and done a great job. Lauren Waclawczyk as a libero, really competed through the spring. We weren’t sure she was going to be our libero. We had Sam Delahoussaye, Meghan Mannari and Victoria Jacobson training behind her, and actually at one point, they were ahead of her. So the old adage of you get out of it what you put into it, and if you truly earn something, then it’s a little easier to keep and keep hold of. I think those two, because they’ve worked so hard to be where they are, I think their leadership is the difference in this team.”