Prior to this season, the LSU volleyball team was picked to win the Southeastern Conference West Division.
While it may look like an honor, it’s standard operating procedure for a team that has won the division for the past six years. On Sunday, though, LSU hit a speed bump on its road to a seventh-straight division title: a 3-2 loss to SEC West rival Ole Miss.
The defeat was only the fourth in 56 matches against an SEC West opponent since 2006.
Moreover, the loss was LSU’s first home loss to an SEC West opponent since 2004. Prior to the loss, LSU had gone 35 straight matches without falling to an SEC West rival in the PMAC.
LSU coach Fran Flory outlined the team’s goals at volleyball Media Day.
“We want to keep our run of six straight SEC West championships and six straight NCAA tournament appearances going,” Flory said. “We’re one of the few programs in the country that’s been able to have that type of SEC.”
As the rankings currently stand, LSU still controls its fate atop the SEC West.
The Tigers will face Arkansas, the team that looks to be their biggest challenger in the West, tonight.
Arkansas is just one game behind LSU in the division standings and rides a two-game winning streak into its matchup with the Tigers in Fayetteville, Ark.
LSU is halfway through its SEC schedule and will play a home and away match with each opponent the rest of the way.
Flory said the team faces some issues because of its relative youth.
“In previous years, we’ve had a veteran team when other teams in the league have been younger,” she said. “This is the year that turns around. Ole Miss and Arkansas have a more veteran team than we do in some key positions, so it’s up to us as a staff and our players to