BATON ROUGE – The seven-time defending SEC Western Division champion LSU volleyball team unveiled its 2012 schedule Thursday highlighted by 16 matches versus 2011 NCAA Tournament opponents.
The Tigers also are scheduled to play 13 matches inside the Maravich Center where LSU has put together an impressive 71-15 record going back to the 2005 season. For the second straight season, fans will have the opportunity to “Geaux Free” to all 2012 home matches compliments of The Advocate.
Before entering SEC action, LSU will compete in three non-conference tournaments starting with the Burnt Orange Classic on Aug. 24-25 hosted by the University of Texas. The Tigers will meet NCAA Elite 8 qualifier and host Texas (Aug. 24) before taking on NCAA Tournament participant San Diego (Aug. 25) and Cal Poly (Aug. 25).
LSU returns home and faces an elite field at the Tiger Classic on Aug. 31-Sept. 1. The Tigers face Rice (Aug. 31) along with NCAA Tournament members Washington (Aug. 31) and Purdue (Sept. 1).
LSU concludes its challenging non-conference slate at the Carolina Classic on Sept. 7-8 hosted by the University of North Carolina. There, the Tigers will square off with a trio of NCAA Tournament participants in North Carolina (Sept. 7), Middle Tennessee (Sept. 8) and Western Michigan (Sept. 8).
“We know we’re going to have to play with a high level of execution and intensity every time we take the floor if we want to continue to build on LSU volleyball’s championship tradition,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Matching up against the likes of Texas, San Diego, Purdue, Washington and North Carolina will prepare us for the rigors of the SEC.”
SEC volleyball will have 13 teams with Texas A&M set to join LSU in the Western Division, while Missouri will participate in the Eastern Division.
For the seventh straight season, the Tigers will play 20 conference matches. The SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will go to the league’s regular season champion.
Released in mid-March, the 2012 SEC volleyball schedule is not based on any other previous or future scheduling formats. The SEC Athletics Directors are currently in the process of formulating scheduling principles for the 2013 season and beyond.
LSU will play a home-and-home series with eight teams which include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Tigers have single matches slated against Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
LSU heads to Alabama (Sept. 14) and South Carolina (Sept. 16) on SEC opening weekend. The Tigers start the home portion of league play versus a pair of NCAA Tournament squads Kentucky (Sept. 21) and Missouri (Sept. 23).
LSU also faces Georgia (Oct. 5), South Carolina (Oct. 7), defending SEC champion Tennessee (Oct. 12), Alabama (Oct. 14), Texas A&M (Oct. 26), Mississippi State (Oct. 28), Ole Miss (Nov. 4) and Arkansas (Nov. 21) at the Maravich Center.
“As a whole, the SEC is going to be extremely tough especially with the addition of quality programs like Missouri and Texas A&M,” Flory said. “Our players know how hard they’ll have to work and what it takes to be successful at a championship level. As a coaching staff, we’ll have to manage each challenge and put every player into a situation where they can be successful on a consistent basis. We have a lot of work to do before taking the floor on August 24, but it will be exciting to see how this group develops.”
LSU’s seven consecutive SEC Western Division titles highlighted by the overall league championship in 2009 is the second longest streak in SEC history. The Tigers are only behind Florida’s 14-year run on top of the SEC’s Eastern Division from 1995-2008 LSU also has garnered a 159-55 record, secured six NCAA Tournament appearances and notched 24 All-SEC selections since 2005.
Fans can follow LSU volleyball on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsuvolleyball along with @lsuvolleyball and @lsucoachfran on Twitter.