AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 17 LSU volleyball team continues its SEC second half opening weekend with a key divisional tilt Sunday against Auburn on the Plaines. First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. inside the Student Activities Center.
LSU (18-2, 9-2 SEC) is coming off a 3-2 triumph over Georgia where a quartet of players posted 10 or more kills. Angela Bensend and Michele Williams connected for 17 kills apiece, while Brittney Johnson distributed 52 assists to go along with 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.
Desiree Elliott ripped a career-high 15 kills and tacked on six blocks. Tania Schatow matched a season-best with seven blocks to headline the front row defense. Lauren Waclawczyk posted 13 digs en route to her seventh straight double digit scoop effort.
Bensend continues to headline the SEC with 4.20 kills per set. LSU has won 30 of 32 matches when she reaches double figure kills during her career.
Williams has garnered over a .300 hitting percentage in 14 of 20 matches on the season and her .347 ratio is eighth in the SEC.
Elliott has strung together four straight 10 or more kills performances and her .422 hitting clip is second-highest during the SEC action. The Cypress, Texas, native also has racked up 24 blocks during her last four outings.
Johnson has compiled five of her team-best nine double-doubles on the season in SEC play. She has handed out 40 or more assists on nine occasions. The Baton Rouge native has set three or more hitters to double digit kills in seven of her last 12 matches.
LSU garnered a 3-1 win over Auburn in the SEC opener for both teams earlier this season. Bensend equaled a career-best with 22 kills and reeled in 18 digs. She knocked 14 of her 22 spikes as the Tigers connected for a .375 hitting percentage during sets three and four.
Auburn (16-7, 7-4 SEC) notched a 3-0 sweep over Arkansas last time out and its seven SEC wins are the most since the 1999 season. Morgan Johns and Sarah Bullock have belted over 200 kills, while Camila Jersonsky has tallied the SEC’s third-best hitting clip at a .376 mark to fuel the Auburn offense. Liz Crouch has corralled 3.92 digs per set to rank seventh in the SEC.
“Auburn is a very talented team,” Flory said. “They have some nice balance themselves with Johns on the right side along with Bullock and Culwell on outside are great players. Auburn is going to be ready for us. They wanted that match earlier this season in Baton Rouge, and I know their coaching staff has worked really hard to prepare. We’re going to give it our best shot. I think our team will be ready and a great SEC volleyball match.”
Live stats for Sunday’s match are available on LSUsports.net in the Geaux Zone. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team’s official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.