It is no secret that the Tigers have a young squad that has given their all on the court, but veteran leadership is what keeps the team focused and balanced through a tough schedule.
LSU (7-11, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) have had to deal with adversity from every angle this season. From winning in the stat book to being called inexperienced, the Tigers have had a hard road, yet the team has never hung their heads.
One of many contributors to this philosophy is senior outside hitter Toni Rodriguez. While she has not been in the starting lineup in every game, she has been a rotational player who contributes on the court in a number of ways.
Against Texas A&M (12-7, 5-2 SEC), she totaled 14 kills and 9 digs in a contested loss.While her play speaks for itself, she believes that most of the confidence and passion of the team starts off the court.
“We have to come together as a family,” Rodriguez said. “If we connect as a family, then it will show as flow on the court.”
She has always believed in the chemistry the team has all season, but the confidence finally led to their first SEC win against Georgia (12-7, 3-5 SEC). Rodriguez credits this win to execution and leadership.
“Everybody was together from start to finish,” Rodriguez said. “We all rotated to where we needed to be and did not panic.”
With a win against a tough opponent, the Tigers can look back on this win and draw confidence moving forward. They want to use it as a starting point for the rest of the season.
As they move forward, Rodriguez points to an aspect that could keep the confidence alive on the court.
“The bench has been doing a great job with keeping the energy up for the people on the court,” Rodriguez said. “we need to make sure that they feel confident out there, no matter what is going on.”
From the outside, fans may now understand how the bench can be asset for a team, but Rodriguez believes the energy on the bench helps with confidence and decision making.
“Just being able to tell other people what shots are open, while on the bench, instills confidence,” Rodriguez said. “It lets them know that I have their back no matter what.”
Having confidence and passion from their leaders is a positive spot for the Tigers as they continue to look to improve their record.
Even so, Rodriguez believes that the team needs to continue to build both on and off the court.
“We have nothing to lose the rest of the season,” Rodriguez said. “We need to go in and play like how we did against Georgia, the wins will come.”
