BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team will look to build on its recent five-set comeback win over Texas A&M and continues its stretch of three matches over a five-day span as Ole Miss visits the Maravich Center for a Friday evening tilt.
First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. with live video and live stats available for Geaux Zone subscribers at www.LSUsports.net/live.
Admission to all 2013 home matches is free compliments of the Advocate’s “Geaux Free” program. The first 500 fans will add LSU sunglasses to their collection as part of “Sand Volleyball Night”. Players of the new LSU sand volleyball program will be introduced in between sets two and three.
Last time out, LSU (10-3, 1-1 SEC) emerged with its third five-set comeback victory from down 2-0 on the season. The win over Texas A&M gave head coach Fran Flory her 400th career win. The Tigers also erased two-set holes versus Miami (Sept. 13) and Baylor (Sept. 20) earlier this season. The only other time that LSU has posted three 2-0 comeback wins was during the 1985 season.
Ole Miss (10-7, 0-4 SEC) has dropped its first four SEC decisions which include sweeps to then No. 3 Florida, then No. 19 Kentucky and Arkansas. The Rebels have five players that have registered 100-plus kills for the season. Ty Laporte has tallied 2.44 kills and 0.73 blocks per set, while Nakeyta Clair has added 2.24 kills and 1.15 blocks per set. Clair’s 1.15 stuffs per set are good enough for fourth on the SEC leaderboard. On the back row, Kristen Brashear has checked in with a team-leading 3.15 digs per set.
“We’ve got two tough matches ahead of us this weekend,” head coach Fran Flory said. “After a long road trip back, we’ll have to recover. Our matches with Ole Miss are always a grind. I have a lot of confidence in our fitness level and a lot of confidence in the resiliency of our team. Ole Miss has some very athletic and veteran players. They have a lot of balance on offense and are pretty deep. We’re going to have to prepare for a variety of lineups. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get on them early and set the tone from the first set.”
Malorie Pardo has secured seven consecutive double-doubles, most recently a 46-assist and 10-dig effort against Texas A&M. She sparked four hitters to 10-plus kills which marked the second time in 2013 that LSU has accomplished that feat. For the season, Pardo has distributed 10.72 assists per set which is fifth among SEC setters.
Over the final three sets of the A&M match, LSU’s offense powered home 39 of its 59 kills and connected for a .356 hitting percentage. Conversely, the Aggies were limited to 33 kills and a .103 hitting clip during the last three sets.
Briana Holman returned to form after having back-to-back hitting efforts in the .150’s and buried 18 kills against the Aggies. She has garnered 3.18 kills per set, fifth-best among SEC freshmen, and has collected a SEC-leading 1.53 blocks per set.
Desiree Elliott knocked 13 kills in her return to her traditional middle blocker position. It was her first start since the San Diego State match on Aug. 31 during the season’s opening weekend. For the season, Elliott has provided 2.35 kills, 1.85 digs and 0.54 blocks per set. She enters the Ole Miss match eight kills away from passing Meagan Davis (1998-2001) for 18th place on the program’s all-time list.
Cati Leak and Katie Lindelow came away with 10 kills each at Texas A&M. Lindelow notched six of her spikes in the fourth set and added 16 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She has averaged 2.05 kills, 2.40 digs and 0.50 blocks per set over her last 10 matches.
Haley Smith has amassed 4.09 digs per set since taking over for Lindelow in the libero role. She has reeled off 10 straight outings with 10-plus digs and sprawled out for 19 scoops at Texas A&M.
LSU has earned 182 victories sparked by five 20-win seasons to go along with seven of the last eight SEC Western Division titles since 2005. The Tigers also are one of 34 programs to appear in six NCAA Tournaments during the previous eight-year stretch.
The Ole Miss match marks the second of six “Attend & Win” matches where one fan will take home a pair of “Beats by Dre” headphones. To be eligible for the “Attend & Win” prizes, fans must stay through the entire match.
The “Friday Night Meal Deal” returns as LSU concessions will provide a special menu for only $7 per meal beginning at 6 p.m. inside the Courtside Club located at the Northwest entrance. To reserve a “Meal Deal” in advance, email promotions@lsu.edu with the quantity of meals and names. The Ole Miss match menu consists of smothered pork chops with rice, broccoli and cauliflower casserole.
Desiree Elliott will continue LSU’s legacy of serving the community. She is teaming up with St. Vincent de Paul and Bishop Ott Shelter Program for her season-long senior class philanthropy project. The Tigers will be collecting items ranging from children’s clothes and shoes along with baby supplies and toys at every home match as part of the “Geaux Kids” initiative. Fans will be able to donate items inside the “Geaux Kids” boxes located at the Tiger Fan Zone
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsuvolleyball along with @lsuvolleyball and @lsucoachfran on Twitter and @lsuvb on Instagram.