The LSU volleyball team will get back on the road this weekend where it will take on Mississippi State and Arkansas in what coach Fran Flory believes are must-win matches.
“We know we need to go on the road and get these two matches,” Flory said. “It’s two tough places to play. We’re going to have to be very prepared.”
LSU will first take on Mississippi State on Friday, who is still looking for its first Southeastern Conference win.
But Flory does not intend to take a struggling opponent lightly.
“Mississippi State is always much better at home than they are on the road,” Flory said. “They are very comfortable in their building.”
The Tigers will then travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for a match on Sunday against an Arkansas team that Flory described as one of its best squads in recent memory.
The Razorbacks have established themselves as a contender early in their SEC campaign, most notably defeating then-No. 21 Tennessee in four sets.
Arkansas’ recent success has garnered national attention, as it received votes in the AVCA coaches poll this week.
The Tigers are coming off a weekend that started well, defeating Kentucky in five sets. But they were unable to carry the momentum into the match on Sunday, which they dropped to Missouri in four sets.
“We didn’t do the game plan as well as we should have” said sophomore outside hitter Helen Boyle about their recent loss to Missouri. “Our errors were greater than [Missouri’s], and that’s why we lost.”
Despite falling to 1-3 in SEC play, the players felt they made significant progress, and hope to use the defeat as a learning experience.
“We have to start off strong in order to do well,” said junior middle blocker Desiree Elliott. “That’s a lesson well-learned for the rest of the season.”
LSU goes into this weekend unsure of the status of senior defensive specialist Meghan Mannari who has missed the past two weekends with a foot injury.
But Mannari’s injury has had a silver lining.
Senior defensive specialist Sam Delahoussaye has thrived since replacing Mannari at the libero position, so much that Flory intends on keeping her there even after Mannari’s recovery.
The injury has also given freshman defensive specialist Haley Smith a chance to shine, and she hasn’t disappointed.
After racking up 18 digs in both matches, the walk-on was announced the SEC Freshman of the Week.
“The award has my name on it, but I think it shows a lot about our team and how we came together,” Smith said. “Without my teammates, I wouldn’t have had the reps that I had to get the award.”
