LSU’s match against Georgia on Saturday will almost serve as a play-in game for the NCAA tournament.A victory against Georgia (17-13, 10-9) puts the Tigers in good standing for a fourth consecutive NCAA tournament bid.A loss puts them in volleyball purgatory, leaving them unsure of their fate until tournament selections are announced.”If we win out, we’ll have the best chance to get into the NCAA tournament,” said LSU coach Fran Flory.LSU (17-9, 12-7) plays Georgia at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the PMAC, in the Tigers’ final regular season match.It’s the final home contest for seniors Elena Martinez and Kyna Washington, who have gone a combined 89-30 in four seasons in Baton Rouge.Martinez said the experience will be bittersweet.”It’s been a long road,” Martinez said. “It kind of snuck up on us. We got warned that it’ll go faster than we think. We’re kind of starting to realize that.”Flory said her seniors won’t get too caught up into the home finale because LSU had its Senior Night on Nov. 14.”The emotion of getting through that with your parents and your family around, I think we’re kind of past that,” she said. “Hopefully we don’t make it into that.”After starting its conference slate 7-7, LSU wrapped up its fourth straight Southeastern Conference Western Division title with five straight wins.But Flory isn’t satisfied with just a division championship.”The West title is nice, but it’s just one step along the way,” she said.The Tigers have struggled against Eastern Division foes this season with a 2-7 record against cross-division rivals.”They have more experience in terms of players,” Flory said. “The East has all the veterans. The East has the seniors that are the difference makers for their programs and have been for the last four years.”Georgia is last in the SEC Eastern Division but has a good enough record for second place in the West Division.The Bulldogs swept the Tigers, 3-0, on Oct. 8 in Athens, Ga.Martinez hesitated to call Saturday’s match a revenge game.”We kind of want to redeem ourselves as far as that’s concerned,” she said. “We never like to lose. Losing to a team gives an added incentive.”The team practices early Wednesday morning to allow players to travel home for Thanksgiving. They will also practice early Friday morning.”You’re kind of torn with how much time to give them off,” Flory said. “This is one of the first years in the last maybe 15 years of my coaching career that we’re not actually in a tournament on Thanksgiving. It’ll actually be nice for everybody, including the staff, to be home with their family.”
 
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