For the first time in its program history, the LSU Beach Volleyball team is the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Tigers began the weekend ranked No. 2 in the AVCA poll, when they welcomed No. 1 UCLA and four other teams to Baton Rouge, where they held the Tiger Beach Classic. After posting a 5-0 record throughout the weekend, the AVCA poll released on Monday giving the Tigers the No. 1 spot.
The weekend’s highwater mark was defeating the back-to-back champions, UCLA, 3-2 in front of a record-breaking crowd of 2,400 people.
“The crowd was insane. There are no other beach tournaments in every place that we’ve gone too, except for nationals, has never had that many people,” said senior Taryn Kloth. Kloth and her partner Kelli Agnew remain unbeaten in nine matches this season and have yet to lose a set.
In the past 38 polls by the AVCA, the Tigers have been in the Top-10. Last year the Tigers finished third at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, giving them their highest rank in the programs six-year history until Monday.
“We trained for it,” said Sophomore Agnew on the team’s hot start, “We train so we can play well and I think that it’s really showing that our coaches are focused on the little things in practice and holding us to a high standard.”