LSU volleyball suffered last year from a scarce fan base alongside a disappointing season.
The Tigers completed the season with nine wins, 20 losses overall and 4-14 in Southeastern Conference play. In regards to the fan attendance or lack thereof, the University only recorded two wins at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in 14 games giving the fans very little to cheer about.
As a result, LSU struggled to fill the seats.
On the contrary, this season has not been reminiscent of last season’s poor results at all.
LSU’s volleyball program has made a drastic turnaround both on the court and in the stands.
The Tigers have recorded more wins halfway through this season than they have all of last season, sitting at 13-4 and 4-2 in SEC play.
The substantial enhancement in quality of play has paid dividends in filling more seats in the PMAC. The increase of fan support has been eye-opening and grabbed the attention of many from the outside looking in and those within the program, including coach Fran Flory.
“The crowd gets better and better each weekend,” said Flory following the Tigers’ last victory on Sunday against Arkansas. “On Fridays and Wednesdays, this place is packed. It’s a great family atmosphere, it’s a fun, exciting, energized, intense atmosphere that every tiger fan should come out and experience.”
On Friday, Sept. 22, the fifth-largest crowd in program history cheered on the Tigers as the squad went on to defeat Texas A&M in the conference opener. The crowd sustained a high level of energy and support for the team the entire night.
The electrifying atmosphere called for Flory to thank the crowd at the conclusion of the match.
Flory spoke highly of the crowd supporting her team and what it means to have the crowd behind them. The intensity the crowd brings to the game and to the team helps the squad elevate its game to another level and put on a show for the fans.
“It is absolutely vital,” Flory said. “We’ve played in many other SEC venues where the fan support of volleyball has increased dramatically. I think it’s great and that winning helps certainly and the growth of volleyball as a spectator sport and a family atmosphere that we, especially the marketing people have created, has made it fun to be part of.”
“You could see how they interact with the crowd, they dance and they get crazy,” Flory added. “They feed off the energy and feed energy to the crowd. I think it’s just as big of a responsibility to get the crowd into it as it is to win the match. Certainly I feel as a coach, every win we have, they are worth a couple of points for us with their rowdiness and are engaged. It’s a huge advantage for our team.”
The refinement of the team thus far this season has warranted a much more involved support-system. The team’s improved play created a much better experience for fans to enjoy at the PMAC.
“We just have to get people in the door and initiate the interest to get them to understand that this is a different type of an event,” Flory said. “It’s fun and the environment is definitely something everyone would want to be a part of after that first experience.”
Head coach Fran Flory applauds the team during the Lady Tigers' 3-0 win over the University of Houston on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2017, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
