The LSU volleyball team will look to build on its back-to-back wins Sunday when it continues Southeastern Conference play and kicks off a four-game road trip against Tennessee at 12:30 p.m.
After opening SEC play with three straight losses, the Tigers (7-7, 2-3 SEC) will head into Thompson-Boling Arena with a head full of steam because of a five-set victory against Arkansas, and its first sweep of the season against Mississippi State.
“It has been [rejuvinating],” said LSU senior setter Malorie Pardo. “We were kind of down and forgot what winning really felt like. Now that we have two in a row, we don’t want to know how it feels not to win.”
LSU coach Fran Flory said the Tigers had their most complete performance against Mississippi State, something she hopes continues as the season progresses.
“The only way we were going to lose [to Mississippi State] is if somebody made a better play than we did, and obviously that didn’t happen,” Flory said. “If we can step into every match like that, then we truly do control our own destiny.”
The Volunteers (7-11, 0-4 SEC) are LSU’s second consecutive opponent looking for its first conference win of the season, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers can get comfortable.
When LSU traveled to Thompson-Boling Arena last season, a Tennessee squad that would finish 1-17 for last place in the SEC, took a 2-1 lead before the heavily favored Tigers came back for a close five-set win.
The Volunteers are characterized by youth, as all but four players on their roster are either freshmen or sophomores. As a result, they have a lot of room to improve.
“They’re a young team and they’re very talented athletically,” Flory said. “They have some really nice athletes who can play high above the net. They’re a team that, as the season has progressed, has improved and gotten better, a little bit like us.”
Freshman outside hitter Mimi Eugene — who led the Tigers in Wednesday’s contest with a game-high 15 kills — said LSU’s chemistry has improved steadily throughout the season, which permeates into virtually every aspect of its game.
“We’re finding who’s working well with who,” Eugene said. “Especially with a lot of young people coming in and playing with the upperclassmen, I think we’re figuring that out.”
A win would give LSU its first winning record of the season and put it at .500 in SEC play for the first time since it started conference play, and bring Flory within two wins from the program’s all-time record.
But the Tigers aren’t looking for success by focusing on wins and losses, breaking records, or even who’s playing across the net. Eugene said LSU’s success hinges on whether the Tigers can stay focused on its own performance and let the game happen.
Flory echoed Eugene calling the game an opportunity to build some much needed confidence at the start of its longest road stretch of the season.
“This is going to be a tough match for us,” Flory said. “It’s a great challenge for us, and it’s a great time for us to have this challenge. If we can focus on our side, we’ll put ourselves in the best position possible.”
You can reach Tyler Nunez on Twitter @Nunez_TDR.