LSU beach volleyball prepares for East Meets West Challenge, facing four ranked opponents

By Chloe Richmond

March 31, 2023

Matthew Perschall

LSU beach volleyball sophomore Cassidy Chambers (21) receives the serve on Saturday, March 25, 2023, during LSU’s 4-1 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the LSU beach volleyball stadium on Cypress Drive.

This weekend LSU, the fifth-ranked beach volleyball team, is traveling to Manhattan Beach, California to play against four opponents ranked in the top 10.

The schools LSU will be playing against are the University of Southern California, UCLA, the University of Hawaii and Loyola Marymount University.

On Friday, the Tigers will play the No. 3 USC Trojans at 11:30 a.m. CT followed by the No. 2 UCLA Bruins at 3 p.m. CT.

The Trojans come into the match at 13-1 on the season with 10 ranked wins, four being against top 10 teams. USC leads the all-time series 5-2 over LSU and the last time the two met, the Trojans beat LSU 4-1 on April 2, 2022.
The Bruins are 19-1 on the season and lead the series 15-2 over LSU. UCLA is similar to USC with 10 ranked wins and have taken down six top 10 opponents.
The Tigers played UCLA earlier in the season and are looking to avenge their 3-0 loss. The last time LSU grabbed a win over UCLA was Feb. 29, 2020, and the only other time the Tigers beat UCLA was also during the 2020 season.
On Saturday, the Tigers will play the No. 7 LMU Lions at 10:30 a.m. CT and will then end the weekend with a match against the No. 8 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine at 2:30 p.m. CT.

LMU sits at 16-1 on the season with six ranked wins, including three over top 10 opponents. LSU leads the all-time series 2-1 and the most recent meeting between the Lions and the Tigers was Apr. 2, 2022 with LSU winning a close 3-2 match.

Hawaii is 20-4 on the season and the Tigers are looking to break the 3-3 tie in the all-time series. Hawaii comes into the challenge with five wins against ranked opponents but have yet to take down a top 10 team. In the most recent matchup with the Rainbow Wahine, LSU came out with a 3-2 win on April 3, 2022.

As the 2023 season is nearing the end, the Sandy Tigs are looking to grab a few wins against top 10 opponents to prepare for a tough road ahead of them. The CCSA Tournament is set to begin at the end of April, and the NC Beach Volleyball Championship follows shortly after at the beginning of May.

With a 17-5 record on the season, LSU has three ranked wins, and its highest ranked win is over No. 10 Georgia State University. The East Meets West Invitational will be the Tigers hardest challenge all season and a few top 10 wins is just what LSU could use to be well prepared for the fast-approaching postseason.

About the Contributor

Chloe Richmond, Digital Editor

Why did you join the Reveille?

I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone. Considering I never shared my writing throughout high school, I’d say the Reveille has aided me well.

What positions have you held at the Reveille?

I was a sports reporter for three semesters. I covered beach volleyball and volleyball.

What's your favorite thing about working at the Reveille?

Aside from the rewarding feeling of seeing my byline on the Internet and in print, my favorite thing about working at the Reveille hands down is the community. I love my cool writer friends.

What's your favorite story that you've written so far?

Everyone will tell you that I’m the biggest Nebraska volleyball fan, so naturally, my favorite story is my comparison between LSU and Nebraska volleyball. A couple of honorable mentions go out to my 2023 SEC volleyball breakdown and the profile I did on former LSU volleyball player Josie Vondran.

What do you hope to do after graduation?

I want to work in the Big Ten conference on the women's volleyball beat (if you couldn't guess). My ideal situation would involve me generating feature/profile stories that highlight athletes as people beyond their sport.

Where can you be found on social media?

My Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are both @chlorichmond. You can find me on Linkedin as well.