The LSU volleyball team got back on track last weekend, bouncing back from only its second loss of the season to win both matches of the weekend.
The Tigers (19-2, 10-2) look to continue their winning ways this weekend, hosting Mississippi State (11-11, 3-8) on Friday night and Alabama (9-12, 1-10) on Sunday afternoon.
LSU coach Fran Flory said records aside, they face two tough opponents this week.
“Mississippi State has continued to get better and better through the season, and they’re a team that’s playing with great passion,” Flory said. “They fight through plays, and they have a couple of really physical people.”
The Tigers continue deeper into the second half of the SEC slate this weekend. LSU will begin to face teams for the second time this season, adding another factor to the game plan.
Flory said that as division leaders, LSU cannot afford to overlook anyone in the Southeastern Conference as it approaches the final matches of the year.
“Alabama is a team playing for a lot of pride,” Flory said. “They haven’t won many matches, but they’ve been in every single match. At some point they’re going to win those matches and instead of losing 23-25, they’re going to be winning 25-23, and certainly we have to protect against that as well.”
Flory said the Friday-night showdown with Mississippi State could be tougher than most think. The Bulldogs’ front line, anchored by senior middle blocker Ashley Newsome, leads the SEC in blocks per set.
“Ashley Newsome in the middle is one of the best athletes in the SEC, so we have to prepare for that,” Flory said. “[The Bulldogs] are a much more balanced team than they’ve ever had.”
Flory said facing teams twice in one season is an added challenge for the Tigers because it allows coaches to break down previous game film.
“All the coaches in the SEC are great coaches and they’re diligent workers,” Flory said. “They put together great game plans, they watch a lot of film and they have a very specific plan to beat us. And now because we’ve played each other, now we know exactly how we match up personnel-wise.”
Sophomore outside hitter Madie Jones said every team is out to beat LSU after its strong first half of the season.
“You’ve seen what everyone has, and you have to prepare almost even more because if you beat them the first time, [they’re] going to come at you even harder the second time,” Jones said. “It’s almost like we have a target on our backs even more now because everyone wants to beat us the second time around.”
The Tigers’ Friday match against Mississippi State is the annual pink breast cancer awareness match, and first serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]