EUGENE, Ore. – The LSU volleyball program will make its 14th appearance in the postseason as the Tigers open the 2014 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday, taking on the Oklahoma Sooners at 6:30 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena in the Eugene Sub-Regional.
The Tigers earned an at-large bid to the tournament for the 14th time in program history, as LSU and the Sooners open the regional on Thursday, while No. 10 Oregon will take on the Santa Clara Broncos at 6 p.m. later that day to close out the first day of action. The winner of the two matches will then meet on Friday at 6 p.m. with a berth in the Minneapolis Regional at stake.
Every match this weekend will be streamed live and for free online at GoDucks.com.
After finishing the regular season on a three-match winning streak, and claiming 14 of their final 15 matches, the Tigers open postseason play against the Sooners looking to advance to the second round for the second consecutive season. LSU will renew the series against the Sooners, while possibly taking on the Ducks or Broncos for just the second time in program history.
“This is what you play for,” head coach Fran Flory said. “All of the work and goals you set in the preseason, the injuries and adversity throughout the season, all makes it worth it when you reach this point of the year. We’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’ll need our best effort this weekend as there are some very good, quality teams in our regional.”
LSU was one of five teams from the Southeastern Conference to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, finishing third in the league after amassing a 19-8 overall mark and 14-4 league mark. LSU has a 13-13 overall record in the postseason, as the team is now tied for fourth in the conference in most tournament appearances.
The Tigers enter the tournament playing some of its best at the perfect time, going into a regional against some quality competition from various conferences. LSU ended the year hitting .241 on the season, which if the season ended today would be the tenth best in program history. Along those same lines, the team has been stingy defensively, holding teams to a .195 hitting average, the 12th time since 2000 an LSU team has done that in a calendar year.
LSU will go into the tournament led by repeat All-SEC performer Briana Holman, who averages 3.90 kills per set with a .392 hitting percentage. Holman is the first player since Brittnee Cooper to finish a season with more than 400 kills, while continuing to be a factor at the net averaging 1.48 blocks per set with 157 on the year.
Holman is followed by fellow All-SEC pick Cati Leak, who finished the year in the top three on the team in four different categories. Averaging 2.63 kills per set and hitting .238 on the year, the Guntersville, Alabama, native also averages 2.37 digs per set with 21 service aces and 53 blocks.
The upperclassmen have been an integral part of the success of the team throughout the course of the season, as senior setter Malorie Pardo will look to end her stellar career on a high note as she comes into the week averaging 10.53 assists per set, while leading the team with 30 service aces, 2.04 digs and 0.66 blocks per set.
Katie Lindelow, who was just named to the 2014 SEC Volleyball Community Service Team, has picked up her offensive load in recent weeks, as she is averaging 2.08 kills per set. She also earned the league’s final weekly defensive award on Monday, as she had 22 digs in the finale at South Carolina last Saturday, as she is second on the team averaging 2.61 per set with 2.61.
Gina Tillis, member of the SEC All-Freshman Team, looks to continue the form that had her selected to the exclusive list, as she tied for the team lead with 17 kills in the match against the Gamecocks, while also showing her versatility in earning 11 digs for her first double-double.
Adding to the stops in the middle will be Emily Ehrle, who since entering the starting lineup early in the SEC slate, is hitting .207 with 48 kills, while moving up the blocking chart with 32 averaging 0.55 per set.
The back line is fortified by junior libero Haley Smith, who is having another career season averaging 4.35 digs per set, one of the best averages in the past few seasons. With 474 on the year, she is trying to become just the second player in the last decade to earn consecutive seasons with at least 500 digs in a single-season.
No stranger to playing tough completion, especially during the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Tigers will be taking on an Oklahoma team that finished 20-10 on the season and tied for second in the Big 12. The Sooners were one of two teams to give Texas, the No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament, a loss, sweeping the Longhorns.
“We are very familiar with Oklahoma and we know what to expect from them,” Flory said. “They are coached very well and have a lot of power offensively. I think we match up well with them and will need to be very balanced and take our chances when we can.”
Oregon, tournament hosts and one of 10 Pac-12 teams to make this year’s tournament, is 21-9 on the season, while Santa Clara finished third in the West Coast Conference with wins over Duke and BYU to its credit.
“When you make it this far it’s not by accident,” Flory said. “Every team from this point on is a great team and deserves to be there. Our hope is that we are playing our best at the right time and we get the right kind of matchups that will make this a successful run for us.”
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.