BATON ROUGE – After finishing in the bottom half of the league the last two seasons, the LSU volleyball program sits in third place at the halfway point of SEC play with the hopes of going back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2014 season.
With an RPI of 32, the Tigers stand behind nationally-ranked Florida and Kentucky with a 7-2 record and are 16-4 on the year. The 7-2 conference record is the best start to conference play since the 2010 season.
The season started off with some memorable notes as the Tigers began the year with an eight-game winning streak, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the 2010 season. The Tigers finished non-conference play 9-2 which is the best start in four years. LSU picked up its first home-opening victory since the 2013 season and its first SEC-opening victory since 2012.
A couple of factors have brought this volleyball program to a higher level – strong, team mentality and amazing support from the LSU community.
“This fight and grit that we have comes from the fact that we went through two years where we did not do our jobs very well, including myself as a coach,” said head coach Fran Flory. “We have recommitted to each other and have a great bunch of tenacious and tough student-athletes. We are going to continue to be successful because simply they do not want to be denied.”
The Maravich Center is becoming a tough place to play for opponents as the Tigers are 6-0 on their home floor. That wasn’t the case last season as the Tigers only won two matches in Baton Rouge. Along with the tough mentality, the atmosphere the fans have provided this season has played a factor in the success of the Tigers.
Thank you to our AMAZING fans for all of your support! 👀 you at the PMAC next Friday, Oct. 27 when we take on Kentucky! pic.twitter.com/x7lyy2f8g4
— LSU Volleyball (@lsuvolleyball) October 19, 2017
“It is amazing to walk in and see all the support that we have,” said sophomore setter Anna Zwiebel. “When the crowd goes wild, it just gets us pumped up and want to win for LSU and for our fans.”
“We really build off of their energy,” said senior outside hitter Gina Tillis. “You literally can’t hear anything because our crowd is so loud. Having that much support and that much cheering going on behind us, knowing that they have our backs, is awesome.”
To go along with a 6-0 home record, the Tigers are also undefeated at 5-0 in five-set matches. The Tigers defeated Northwestern, UConn, High Point, Arkansas and Ole Miss in five-set thrillers this season.
WHAT A HARD-FOUGHT MATCH! It’s another GREAT NIGHT to be a 🐯 as we take down Ole Miss in 🖐!
📰: https://t.co/dPUtMjS3EM pic.twitter.com/cGeCGRNaOO
— LSU Volleyball (@lsuvolleyball) October 19, 2017
“We have consistently had this fight and grit mindset throughout the whole year,” said senior defensive specialist Kelly Quinn. “We really have come together as a family and supported each other. I think everybody having the same goal in mind and being very clear about what we want to accomplish is what has made us successful this year.”
Currently riding a five-match win streak in SEC play, the Tigers hope to continue that momentum into the second half of conference action, following a rare open weekend.
“I have never had a break at this point in the season,” said Flory. “We are using it to our advantage, giving the players some time off to rest and relax. Sunday night, we are going to resume practice like this is the beginning of the year. We are going to go back to the basics and teach the game from the ground up again. Not many teams get that opportunity in the middle of the season.”
Fans will have four more opportunities to see the Tigers in action at home, starting with nationally-ranked Kentucky on Friday, October 27 at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center.