The road had recently been an unfriendly territory for the LSU volleyball team, as the Tigers entered the weekend having not won a road match since September. But the Tigers (22-6, 13-5) snapped that four-match road loss streak with crucial wins Friday at Mississippi State (11-15, 6-11) and Sunday at Alabama (15-12, 12-6). LSU now leads the Southeastern Conference Western Division with just three games remaining in the regular season, but Florida’s win Friday has already secured the Gators’ 17th-straight overall SEC title. The Tigers needed all five games to secure victories in both matches, defeating Mississippi State and Alabama with a 3-2 score. The win at Alabama had even higher stakes for the Tigers. Before Sunday’s match, LSU had not won at Alabama since 2001. “It feels great to get the monkey off our back,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “This team was not going to be denied.” Sophomore middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo led LSU in kills with 20 against Mississippi State and 22 against Alabama. “I can’t say enough about [DeGirolamo’s] effort and the way that she came through for this team,” Flory said. Junior libero Elena Martinez had a career-high 43 digs against the Tide. Martinez’ performance eclipsed her previous school record of 34 digs. “I was pretty hard on her throughout the match,” Flory said. “She could have had about 10 more digs if she had been a little bit more patient. But she’s among the best if not the best in the league, and she did a great job.” Martinez said LSU’s success can be attributed to a renewed focus emphasized in and outside the gym during the past week. “In the gym, the goal was to never have the ball hit the floor without someone going down with it as well,” Martinez said. “Outside the gym, we knew we needed to work harder with going to class, going to study hall and having more discipline.” Flory said she was impressed with freshman setter Brittney Johnson, who recorded 60 assists and 11 digs against Alabama. Flory said the Tigers still have plenty to play for in their three remaining matches, including the SEC West trophy, second place in the overall SEC rankings and a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers take on Georgia at 7 p.m. Friday and Auburn at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the PMAC.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]
Volleyball takes SEC West lead
November 11, 2007