The LSU volleyball team hopes to snap its three game losing streak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday on the road against the University of Arkansas, while relying on its B-squad starting line up.
Much changed since the last time the Tigers (9-14, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) faced the Razorbacks (15-9, 5-7 SEC) in late September.
The matchup marks the third game LSU is forced to play without senior outside hitter Cati Leak and the fifth without freshman middle blocker Toni Rodriguez. Both finished with double-digit kills when Arkansas edged out the Tigers in five sets.
Sophomore outside hitter Gina Tillis is day-to-day after tweaking an ankle against the University of Kentucky on Nov. 1. Although LSU will play with four starters on the sideline, the players and said they coaches still don’t think the Razorbacks expect an easy win.
“We already proved that we’re going to play hard regardless,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “Arkansas might have a tendency to overlook us a little bit, but every team and every coach respects each other in this league and knows that on any given night things can happen.”
LSU’s game plan focuses on the defensive side of the ball heading into Wednesday’s match. Flory said she wants to extend rallies and gain opportunities, but the question mark on the offensive rhythm, which has been a challenge since the start of the season, remains with the injuries.
“The question is where we are going to get kills and who’s going to finish plays for us,” Flory said. “As we keep going, we’ll see who will step up in that role.”
The Tigers are focusing on blocking in practice to prepare for Arkansas’ physical offense. When the Razorbacks visited LSU for both team’s SEC season opener, Arkansas junior outside hitter Pilar Victoria became the fourth player in school history to finish a conference game with 30 kills.
But the freshmen, who have more opportunities to play and showcase their skills in the last stretch of the season due to the Tigers’ injuries, are excited to step up to suppress Victoria and the Razorbacks.
“I’m expecting Arkansas to enter the game as excited and ready to play as we are,” said freshman middle blocker Brittany Welsh. “Last time the game ended in five, so we should be able to go in and do some damage.”