STORRS, Conn. – Okay, I admit it, it took until the start of my 30th year at LSU to accompany the LSU Tiger volleyball team on a road trip.
First of all, I did not jinx Fran Flory‘s club. They won the tournament, all three matches, to win the title and go to 6-0 on the season.
You can get a little insulated in one’s world that repeats itself year after year whether that is football, basketball, my bowling hobby and writing, etc. So with circumstances that presented itself as our Communications office refocuses and rebuilds itself to full strength, I was asked to join the team on its trip to the Dog Pound Classic.
One check of the weather that said temperatures in the low 70s and I said sure, I’ll go. And, after watching two of LSU’s wins on TV from South Florida the week before, I had a feeling this would be a good weekend for the Tigers.
Now three wins is good, but sometimes three wins are just numbers on the left side of the ledger. What I witnessed was a team that understands what it has to do to be successful, believes in each other and didn’t matter the environment or the situation when down 2-1 to UConn, they were going to find a way to win.
It was the second straight week that LSU was forced to win game 4 to tie the match and then win the dreaded 15-point showdown. That fifth game win had become almost like poison for the Tigers in some past years, but now they are walking on the water to get through and win.
I was really looking forward to seeing Gampel Pavilion, but all that could be see was the outside where roofers were delicately handling the roof panels which desperately needed replacing. Instead I saw Guyer Gymnasium, part of a giant old fieldhouse that houses much of their athletic team offices and two massive gymnasiums.
In one of these gyms the court (similar to what LSU plays on, but this one came from the London Olympics) was placed with six row bleachers pretty much surrounding the court literally inches off the playing surface. From the first serve on Friday one could tell it would be loud and Friday night when LSU and UConn met, it was standing-room only and loud.
It really had an NCAA Tournament field and one would have to think American Conference foes coming in are going to have a tough time this one year that Huskie VB will have to play there.
Then there was low lights and ceilings that digs could bounce off of and an air conditioner vent on one vent on one end that was play-it-off-of if it ever came down after rolling around.
Talk about a home-court atmosphere and LSU adjusted and said fine. We’ll play in this place and we’ll win. That exactly what happened.
(Oh yes. Let me add that you could watch the matches on the second level at one end while working on the mountain climbing wall or the rowing machines, and on the sidelines of the second level in the free weight area. That’s full service athletics if you ask me.)
Phrases like “We are excited about the start, but we are also excited about the evolution of this team and how we are building,” and “this team believes they are going to win. They don’t think they are going to lose. That’s nice to have this early in the season.” That’s what Coach Flory was saying after matches on Saturday and I have to say it’s hard to knock the thought.
As many of you may remember, I was the PA announcer for some pretty good volleyball teams at LSU. But there were also some that struggled and searched for chemistry. In just watching three matches in person, I have seen a lot of chemistry and a group of ladies that really seem to like playing the game. If one person is hot then run the offense through them.
One thing the staff was able to do was get everyone in the Iona match on Saturday and that was pleasing to both coaches and players. The mood is always better after days like that.
There is still a big trip to North Carolina this coming weekend where the stakes can get raised even more at High Point (winners over Oklahoma and Georgia) and UNC. The team finally gets back home on Sept. 16 and this team on the road has certainly earned enough respect to deserve your support for the home opener.
Have to admit it’s a good fall when the big three team sports of the fall – football, volleyball and soccer – go 12-0 after Sunday’s soccer match win. So when around for football weekends coming up, don’t forget to check out volleyball and soccer. I think you will enjoy what you see.
I sure did this past weekend watching volleyball in Connecticut.