The Carolina Classic will be the LSU volleyball team’s final chance to set things straight before the start of conference play next weekend.
The Tigers will face Middle Tennessee, Western Michigan and host North Carolina during the two-day tournament in Chapel Hill, NC.
“All are quality programs coached by very good coaches,” said LSU coach Fran Flory in a news release. “[North Carolina] will be a tough match. It will be very competitive, very tight contest that will be determined by a couple of touches here or there … Western Michigan is also a great team.”
Flory has challenged her team early in the season by scheduling four top 20 programs over the course of the past two weekends.
The Tigers did not fare well in those matches, however, going 2-4 with all four losses coming in straight sets.
“As a coach, you learn more when you lose than when you win,” Flory said. “We challenged this team, and this schedule was put together on purpose. I don’t think we are playing anybody in non-conference that has not been in the top 50 RPI for the past couple of years … Certainly, they are a little bit better than us at this point, but it has given us a nice mark to shoot for.”
LSU is struggling this season on the offensive side of the net, committing 124 hitting errors for a .155 team hitting clip. “We have a few things we have to improve upon and hitting efficiency is one of them,” Flory said. “The timing of our offense is important. We run so fast, and it is pretty intricate that you have to be pretty connected.”
The Tigers’ opponents for this weekend have a combined record of 12-8, with North Carolina leading the way with a 5-1 record.
The Tarheels are coming off a tournament win at the Aggie Invitational and their only defeat came at the hands of No. 19 Kentucky in straight sets.
UNC is led by senior Cora Harms who is hitting a team-high .409 and sophomore Ece Taner who averages 4.77 digs per set.
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Contact Mike Gegenheimer at [email protected]