BATON ROUGE, La. – With only one match on the docket for the week, the LSU volleyball team hits the road and puts its nine-match winning streak on the line on Thursday night, taking on the Texas A&M Aggies at 6 p.m. in College Station on the SEC Network.
The tilt between the Tigers and Aggies on Thursday is the only match on the network that night, and the final time LSU will be featured on the main network, although the team will have three of its final five matches of the regular season streamed on SEC Network+.
Coming into Wednesday’s action, only LSU and Florida hold the distinction of playing 12 Southeastern Conference matches so far, as the Tigers will finally be able to look forward to some much needed rest after Thursday with eight days between matches. Including Texas A&M, LSU has fought through a grueling stretch with six of the team’s last eight matches on the road, looking to keep alive its road winning streak against the Aggies.
“It’s been a tough road, and we do have some players who are fighting through fatigue and some minor injuries, but this is the point where you have to be completely focused on the next match and not look too far ahead,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Our focus is on Texas A&M and how solid they are, and after we’ll look at recovery and treatment to get our players ready going forward.”
At 14-7 on the season and 9-3 in the SEC, LSU really opens the stretch run in prime position to not only solidify a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, but put pressure on the two teams ahead of them in the standings in Florida and Kentucky. After winning nine games in a row, the Tigers went from the bottom three to the top three in the span of a month’s time, looking to finish the year in the upper crust of the league’s top teams.
Getting to this point has been a lesson in overcoming adversity and big deficits, to rally for victories, with none more evident in the team’s thrilling comeback win over Arkansas last Sunday.
Seeming as if the team’s bus had finally run out of gas, the Tigers rallied from a 0-2 hole to take the final three to win in five sets, the second time since the streak began and second time on the road the group has done this, keeping its streak alive in thrilling fashion. Over the last five seasons, LSU has won eight matches when down two sets, including defeating the Razorbacks twice this season by going the full length of a match.
The Tigers have been strong on both sides of the net, hitting .260 during the team’s hot streak, while holding opponents to right at, or just below, .200 which has seen the team rise in both the league and overall statistics in hitting and opponent hitting percentage.
Continuing to lead the pace offensively is Briana Holman, who continues to lead the charge with astounding numbers, becoming the first player since 2010 to record consecutive 20-plus point kill matches after tying her career high of 23 on Sunday. Already in the career records lists for blocks per set, she can crack the all-time career hitting percentage with just 54 more attempts, as she is currently hitting .348 in just two seasons which would be good enough for second all-time.
Earning half of her double-doubles against SEC competition, Cati Leak had one of her better all-around performances against Arkansas, continuing a string of solid play for the junior from Alabama, as she had 11 kills, 11 digs and six blocks, including three solo in crucial moments of the match. Leak has hit .300 or better in four of her last five matches, committing no greater than three attack errors during that same time span.
Katie Lindelow has been steady throughout the year, as her 10 kills against the Razorbacks was her sixth double figure kill match of the season. This year alone, the Mandeville product has 15 matches with at least seven kills and 17 matches with seven or more digs, upping that number with eight last Sunday.
Not since Daniela Reis has LSU seen a setter earn 1,000 assists during a four-year career, but with 130 more, Malorie Pardo will become just the second to ever do so in program history after earning her fourth 50-plus assist match over the weekend. Already No. 2 in career assists and in the top five in assists per set, the senior is wrapping up her Tiger career as one of the best setters in program history.
Since being implanted into the starting lineup in the second conference match of the season, Emily Ehrle has been a bright spot for the Tigers, continuing her solid play with three kills and a .333 average with three blocks, as she has seven matches this year with at least two blocks in a match. Gina Tillis came off the bench to register eight kills in just four of the five sets, while Kelly Quinn earned another service ace among LSU’s eight as a group.
Starting every match and playing in every set in the back row, Haley Smith now stands 50 digs away from becoming the 15th player in team history to earn 1,000 in her career. If her numbers hold up through this season and the next, the former walk-on could make a run at the all-time digs record, held by Reis which stands at 1,527.
Before the Tigers can reach their extended break, the team will need to conquer another stiff test in Texas A&M, who have won four of their last five matches and is 15-7 on the year and 7-4 in the SEC. A&M just fell out of the rankings this week after being in the top 25 in the previous seven, but are 17th in the latest RPI rankings.
“Playing there in front of their fans will present us with another tough challenge that we’ll have to prepare for,” Flory said. “It’s another great SEC volleyball venue and we’ll have our work cut out for us, but I expect our players to be ready for the challenge.”
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.