LSU Challenges Oklahoma, Texas A&M at the PMAC

Although Oklahoma has dropped three of its last four matches, the Sooners rank No. 4 in the SEC with a .278 hitting percentage, 13.74 kills per set and 13.33 assists per set. Defensively, OU sits at No. 2 in the conference with 2.67 blocks per set. 

Pin hitter Alexis Shelton leads the Sooners with 4.45 kills per set (No. 4 in the SEC) and chips in 0.89 blocks per set and eight aces. Middle blocker Lydia Martyn ranks No. 8 in the league with a team-high 1.19 blocks per set on 56 total blocks. Martyn also has a .356 hitting percentage behind 104 kills and has six aces. Middle blocker Kelli Jo Burgess also breaks the top 10 in the SEC with 1.11 blocks per set, and setter Payton Chamberlain ranks No. 2 in the conference with 10.74 assists per set.

LSU and Oklahoma will go head-to-head for the first time in a decade. In the last meeting, the Tigers swept the Sooners in the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Eugene, Ore. Overall in the series, LSU is on an eight-match winning streak and is 2-0 when playing at the PMAC. The last match between the two clubs in Baton Rouge was a five-set victory for the Tigers in 1989.

Texas A&M is riding a three-match winning streak and has won four of its last five matches, including a two-match winning streak as the visiting team in SEC play. In league matches only, the Aggies lead the SEC with 2.82 blocks per set and have the second-lowest opponent hitting percentage at .189. TAMU holds its opponent to a .169 hitting percentage (No. 2 in the SEC) and averages 2.63 blocks per set (No. 3 in the SEC). On the offensive side of the net, A&M ranks No. 8 in the nation with 14.06 kills per set on a .270 hitting percentage. 

Opposite hitter Logan Lednicky leads the team with 4.35 kills per set, is hitting .320 on the season, has eight aces and averages 1.06 blocks per set (55 total) for a 5.07 points per set. Middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla is tied for a conference-best 1.52 blocks per set (79 total) and ranks No. 9 in the SEC with a .376 hitting percentage on 110 kills. Middle blocker Morgan Perkins ranks No. 7 in the SEC with a .393 hitting percentage on 109 kills and has eight aces and 0.87 blocks per set this season. Setter Maddie Waak – a transfer from LSU – leads the SEC with 10.98 assists per set. 

LSU has won two of the last three matches against Texas A&M but has fallen in three of the previous five. In the all-time series, the Tigers trail 5-12 in matches played at the PMAC.