This weekend, the LSU volleyball team will travel 1,188 miles to Athens, Georgia, stopping in Auburn, Alabama, on the way back to Baton Rouge.
The Tigers (5-8, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) are set to face the University of Georgia at 6 p.m. Friday night in the Ramsey Center.
LSU coach Fran Flory recalled Georgia’s gym because of its compactibility. The Ramsey Center is the student recreational center on Georgia’s campus.
“Playing Georgia in Georgia is always a daunting task,” Flory said. “It’s a small gym. We enjoy playing in it.”
Georgia (5-8, 0-1 SEC) lost in straight sets in its first conference match against the University of Tennessee on Sept. 27.
Flory, however, knows not to overlook the Bulldogs.
“They will be a great blocking team,” Flory said. “They have a setter that distributes the ball well. They have some good pieces. They are a very dynamic and very athletic team.”
The Tigers expect to be the underdogs going into the match — a familiar position for them this season.
“These are the matches that we have to go in and focus,” Flory said. “We don’t have an advantage over anybody. We are the underdog in every match, but sometimes it’s fun to play from behind. I think this team does a good job from playing from behind.”
This will be the Tigers’ first appearance in the Ramsey Center since 2013. LSU, which won eight of its last 10 matches against Georgia, defeated the Bulldogs in four sets last season in Baton Rouge.
Friday’s matchup will be the only meeting between the Tigers and Georgia this season.
Once their match concludes Friday, the Tigers will hit the road again, heading for Auburn, Alabama, to take on Auburn University (9-5, 1-1 SEC) at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Auburn Arena.
Hotel vacancies are sparse in Georgia because of the Bulldogs football team’s matchup with the University of Alabama, so LSU must travel overnight to Auburn.
“This is our toughest trip,” Flory said. “It’s a bit daunting to be on the road that long.”
Auburn lost its most recent match to Texas A&M University in straight sets, 14-25, 17-25, 21-25.
“Like any SEC team, it’s going to be tough competition,” freshman middle blocker Brittany Welsh said. “It’s going to be good for us, and it will help us progress as we keep moving on this season.”
“I think as we’ve watched the results in the SEC after the first week, we understand that there are a ton of winnable matches out there for us,” Flory said in a news release. “We might not have the best record, but the potential for what we can accomplish can be special if we stay the course. The key is by continuing to buy in, work hard and progress.”