BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU volleyball team closes out its longest road trip of the season on Wednesday, traveling to take on the Ole Miss Rebels at the Gillom Sports Complex in Oxford at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.
The Tigers close out a four-match road trip with the Rebels on Wednesday, looking to extend their winning streak to six matches, while Ole Miss will be looking to extend its season-long home winning streak which stands at nine matches. After Wednesday, LSU returns home for the next two, beginning with the Georgia Bulldogs at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 1 p.m.
Now more than halfway through the regular season, LSU has strung together its best stretch of matches since the 2014 year began in August, sitting at 10-7 on the season and 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference, a half-game behind Arkansas for third place in the league standings. The Tigers are 7-3 in their last 10 matches overall, earning victories over Missouri and No. 16 Kentucky this past weekend.
“It’s been amazing to watch this team grow over the past couple of weeks, and their play has shown what they are capable of when they all buy into the process and believe in each other,” head coach Fran Flory said. “They had a vision of what they wanted to accomplish when the season started, and now are starting to see the benefits when they play with great passion and purpose.”
Flory, now more than most of the way through her 17th season in Baton Rouge is now one win shy of becoming the all-time winningest head coach in program history, sitting with 308 total wins and tied with Scott Luster for the record. Flory is one of only six coaches in the league with at least 400 wins in a career, while being one of just four coaches to have 300-plus wins at their current school.
“I have so much respect for Scott and what he did to elevate this program, and I’ve been honored to be able to help carry that legacy in whatever way I could,” Flory said. “It’s never been about me, I’ve always said that it’s been about the players who come and wear the colors proudly and give their all for this University. They are the ones who’ve helped me reach this point.”
During this win streak that has helped LSU rocket up the standings, the Tigers have been a force in a host of categories as the five-match tear has seen the team average .285 hitting as a group, putting away 14.26 kills per set and averaging 13.26 assists and 15.00 digs per outing. LSU has also been stingy defensively, as opposing teams are hitting just .186 and averaging 10 kills and assists per set, while hitting into 2.11 blocks for LSU.
It’s hard to pinpoint the sole catalyst for the team’s resurgence, as the squad has had no less than six players averaging over two kills per set in the five matches, while five are averaging over two digs per set to really create an all-around matchup problem for anyone on the other side of the net.
The Kentucky match alone proved this point, as four players finished with double-digit kills and double-digit digs, led by Katie Lindelow who had 18 in the win and 12 digs. The 18 tied her career high, while earning her third double-double of the season. Lindelow is averaging 2.16 kills per set on the season and 2.31 digs as well.
Cati Leak also seemed to be unflappable in the front and back row, finishing with 17 kills and a .405 hitting percentage, a season high, while having 19 digs which was also a season high. Leak, who is in the top 10 in active kills in the SEC, is close to passing the 800 kill and 700 digs threshold in her junior season.
Coming off the bench to register 17 kills earned Gina Tillis SEC Freshman of the Week honors, as she hit .375 against the Wildcats, earning 15 of the 17 in the final three sets of the win. When coupled with the 12 kills from sophomore Briana Holman, the duo combined for 29 kills and 12 blocks, including four of the five solo the team had in the match, with Holman earning eight with three solo and five assisted.
At some point early in the match, senior setter Malorie Pardo will crack the 1,000 dig plateau needing just two to do so, while continuing to make the climb up the career assist leaderboard, needing just 130 to move into second place all-time in the category after earning a season’s-best 58 on Sunday.
Another player close to cracking the 1,000 dig plateau for her career is Haley Smith who is 11 away from reaching 900, earning the bulk of those in just two seasons. Averaging 4.10 per set this year, the Meraux, Louisiana, native had 22 against Kentucky and during the win streak is averaging close to five per set.
Hoping to avoid a letdown after a big win, the Tigers will have their hands full with a likely packed crowd in Oxford to cheer on one of the best Ole Miss teams in program history, as the Rebels are 18-3 on the year, 4-3 in the league and have won their last three in a row.
“This is one of the most talented and athletic Ole Miss team’s I think I’ve ever seen,” Flory said. “This is another great volleyball venue to play in, and we know they are going to bring their best game against us and their fans are going to be loud. We will have our work cut out for us against another high quality opponent.”
This will be the only meeting between the two teams this season, as LSU has won three of the last five against Ole Miss and will be looking to avenge a 3-2 loss in Oxford last season.
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.