The LSU volleyball team began the 2010 season in record-setting fashion, winning 13 straight matches to mark the best start in program history.
The road to perfection gets tougher this weekend as the No. 16 Tigers (13-0, 4-0) travel to Gainesville, Fla. to take on the No. 2 ranked Florida Gators (10-1, 3-0) Friday night.
LSU also faces South Carolina (3-10, 0-3) Sunday in Columbia, S.C., for the final match of the weekend.
Senior setter Brittney Johnson said the perfect record isn’t getting to the team’s head.
“It feels good [to be unbeaten],” Johnson said. “It’s always good to be undefeated, but it’s not going to stop us from working hard.”
LSU’s 2009 Southeastern Conference championship ended Florida’s 18-year stint of being top dog. LSU’s 3-0 sweep of the Gators last season snapped a 26-match losing streak to Florida dating back to the 1991 season.
Florida’s lone loss this season came against No. 4 Penn State. In the Tigers’ biggest test this season, LSU coach Fran Flory said the key to victory lies in ball control.
“We’re going to have to control the ball better than they control it, and we’re going to have to do a great job defending,” Flory said. “I think our offense works if we can control the ball and control the first contact. The question is, how do we respond against a team that is a little more physical coming at us?”
Flory also said the team has gained confidence from its hot start.
“The team feels like when they step onto the court that they can win every match,” Flory said. “They’ve done a great job of focusing on the little things first. We don’t walk out trying to win the match. We walk out trying to win the first contact. There’s a progression to it … and at the end if we take all the right small steps, then we end up with a win.”
LSU leads the SEC in four of seven statistical categories, including hitting percentage, assists and kills. The seniors are leading the way for the Tigers this season.
Johnson has dished out an SEC-leading 10.8 assists per set, and senior outside hitter Angela Bensend tops the conference with 4.56 kills per set.
Florida leads the conference in both blocks and service aces.
Florida coach Mary Wise said there was a buzz of excitement around her team for the match and spoke highly of LSU’s program.
“To get them Friday night should be really exciting,” Wise said. “They’re a very well-coached, very talented team that really competes. They are a hard-nosed, gritty group of players that really plays hard. Our team has great respect for LSU and their program.”
Johnson said even with the momentum this season, the team needs to not let up and keep pushing harder. Freshman middle blocker Desiree Elliott agreed, saying the team’s work ethic won’t let the Tigers slow down.
“We’ve come into practice working hard every day,” Elliott said. “We need to make sure we have a good attitude and make sure we keep our pace fast and play our game at all times.”
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]