LSU has had a great deal of success throughout this season compared to its recent years. After winning only 18 games throughout the last two seasons, the Tigers finished with 20 wins and 9 losses this regular season, accumulating more than double the amount of wins they had in the previous two seasons.
“We finally got healthy and grew up enough to compete at the level we are expected to compete on,” coach Fran Flory said. “We have been able to re-establish a culture of what our program is about. I believe this is a really big turning point for our future as well.”
LSU started the season as good as anyone in the country, delivering dominant performances consistently and rolling to an eight game win streak.
Over the course of the streak, the Tigers won all of its sets by an average of 8.5 points. 
Flory explained how other teams’ approach towards the Tigers has changed compared to last season and how it affects the team’s mindset towards teams playing even harder against them.
“There are times when we still revert a little bit,” Flory said. “Certainly, we started with a lot of insecurities with climbing up from where we once were. We are still in the process of learning and truly believing that we belong. The process is working and they are getting to where we want them to be. Hopefully, the process will continue to work and we will be able to extend our season.”
LSU’s undeniable chemistry on the court earned the team the BASF Team Chemistry Award in September. The team used chemistry as the mantra, which led to the dominance to start the year.
With this also came the individual accolades that stood out as specific players have led LSU’s miraculous turnaround season.
Freshman outside hitter Taylor Bannister stands out among the others. Bannister made a huge splash on the scene that uplifted the Tigers in ways they have not had.
She’s managed to find success immediately as a first-year player, receiving the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year two times throughout the season. Bannister was also named to the All-SEC team and the SEC All-Freshman team. 
Another marque contributor to LSU’s prosperity was senior outside hitter Gina Tillis. 
Tillis held a prominent leadership role, being the model player to the younger players and setting the example on and off of the court. Tillis produced staggering numbers this season. She is second on the team in total kills with 269, and eclipsed 1,000 career kills in the team’s victory over Ole Miss on Oct. 18. 
“We certainly will miss our seniors,” Flory said. “We won’t just miss the ones everyone knows about on the court. The behind-the-scenes work from Khourtni [Fears] and Cheyenne [Wood] does not get much credit because no one really knows. Our seniors did a great job of being true to our program, to each other, and to their teammates.”
LSU’s home crowd has also been a boost to this season’s turnaround. Flory has raved multiple times throughout the season about the fan support and how big of an influence that the fans have on the success of the team.
“The crowd made us,” Flory said. “The fan support from the University and from the community makes you feel like what you’re doing is worth it, and it makes you want to be even better. Them being there is what I am most appreciative of because they created energy, certainly helping us succeed this year.”
Moving forward, LSU will be welcoming a strong recruiting class for 2018 and a new, higher set of expectations for the team to exceed. Flory looks forward to the challenges in the future, but has confidence her program will remain steered in the right direction.
“The expectation is in the next couple of years, we will be hosting (first weekend of NCAA Tournament)”, Flory said. “We have an opportunity to be one of those top 16 teams to get to host. With a great home-court advantage that will be worth a couple points per set, hopefully we could work to be one of those teams playing at home in a couple of years on this weekend rather than traveling.”