Discipline is the theme for the LSU volleyball team as they hit the road for the third week in a row when they travel to Houston this weekend to face off against North Texas (6-6), Baylor (5-7) and Houston (7-4) for the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup at the University of Houston Athletics and Alumni Center.
The Tigers (7-1) will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, which they suffered against Miami last weekend in a grueling five-set match that ended the team’s pursuit of its best start since 2010.
“I think that drove them,” said LSU coach Fran Flory of the loss. “Several of [the players] have come in and said if we were going to lose I’m glad it was now because we have time to fix things.”
Despite missing out on a chance at LSU volleyball history, the team has already put the loss behind them.
The Tigers are ready to begin rebuilding the positive momentum that fueled their hot start sophomore Katie Lindelow said.
“We’re moving on,” Lindelow said. “We know we can’t lose anymore and we’re looking at being 10-1 before moving into
[Southeastern Conference play].”
With an opportunity to get back on the winning track in Houston, the Tigers have recommitted themselves to playing disciplined volleyball.
The inevitable fatigue that comes with traveling for three consecutive weeks has placed an even higher importance on the finer points of the game and making sure the Tigers take care of business on their side of the net.
“We’ve reestablished a level of discipline and expectation on our side of the net,” Flory said. “I felt like last weekend, as the rally went on, we lost our discipline.”
The team has been highly receptive to Flory’s emphasis on being more disciplined as a team.
“We’ve been focusing strictly on discipline,” Lindelow said. “That’s kind of what we lost focus on last weekend. We got tired and lost our discipline.”
Flory said that all three opponents present unique challenges but the Tigers are focusing on playing their best volleyball regardless of who is lining up on the other side.
LSU will face off against North Texas on Friday at 11 a.m. and Baylor later on Friday at 4:30 p.m., before finishing the tournament against Houston on Saturday at 11 a.m.