The LSU volleyball team heard its name called for the second consecutive season as the Tigers earned a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers (19-8, 14-4 Southeastern Conference) are in the Minneapolis Region with the No. 2 overall seed Texas but will start the tournament on the West Coast for the second consecutive year.
For their first round matchup, LSU will face Oklahoma in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
The Sooners (20-10, 10-6 Big 12) are No. 22 in the latest NCAA RPI and battled tested in the Big 12, having split their season-series with the regional top-seed Texas and finishing in a three-way tie for second in the conference behind the Longhorns.
If the Tigers get past the Sooners, they’ll face the winner of Santa Clara and No. 10 overall seed Oregon. LSU coach Fran Flory said her team has a difficult path ahead of them, especially having to travel to the west coast.
“This is a very tough first and second round sight,” Flory said. “Unfortunately, we end up flying to the West Coast more than we do anywhere else. Certainly, [it is] a great adventure and a great experience for our kids, but it’s not an easy trip to make.”
If LSU gets past the first two-rounds, it will travel to Minneapolis and possibly face No. 7 seed North Carolina and then No. 2 seed Texas, Flory’s alma mater. But Flory said she isn’t looking that far ahead.
She remains focused on making sure her team is ready to play and said her team will need to grow with each match of the tournament to advance.
“I thought [Stanford coach John Dunning] said it best on TV and he believes what I believe that the team that continues to improve and continue to get better at the latter part of the season and throughout the NCAA tournament is the team that has the better chance to advance,” Flory said. “We’re a team that has that approach.”