For the No. 11 LSU beach volleyball team, this upcoming weekend is more meaningful than any other.
The Tigers hope to gain a leg up in the NCAA Championship rankings with an exceptional performance at the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Conference Championship Tournament on April 22-24.
“Every match is crucial to give us a chance to help get us to the NCAA tournament,” said LSU coach Russell Brock in a press release.
LSU will compete in Emerson, Georgia, this weekend at the LakePoint Sports Complex.
LSU (15-6) dominated UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, South Carolina and Carson-Newman with a 5-0 victory in the Palmetto Invitational on April 16 and 17.
LSU’s performance, though, didn’t secure a top-10 ranking. It must maintain the same effort this weekend in order to secure a spot in postseason play in May.
“Last weekend we had a really good tournament,” sophomore Mandi Orellana said. “As a team we did really well. We came and showed what we were capable of and we’re excited to do better this weekend.”
LSU enters the CCSA Championship as the fourth seed following behind Florida State in the top-overall spot. Georgia State is the second seed in the tournament while FIU follows in third. The tournament also includes South Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Tulane and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The eight teams are divided into two four-team groups with LSU in Group 1 alongside, and competing against, Florida State, UAB and South Carolina. Before the finals on Sunday, the top three teams will enter into a knockout phase and then the winner of each pool advances to the semifinals on April 24. The final match will be on the same day.
Florida State may pose a challenge for the Tigers, but LSU treats all competitors the same, Brock said.
“Florida State is one of the best teams in the country,” Brock said. “We know they’re going to be playing well, and we’re excited to be playing them again … We’re also expecting this to be an entirely different match [against South Carolina].”
No. 2 duo senior Helen Boyle and sophomore Lilly Kessler spearhead the Tigers with a 15-3 record for this season. The No. 3 couple senior Callan Molle and senior Cati Leak have won 14 out of their last 16 matches.
The pressure builds as LSU’s beach volleyball team focuses on playing better than ever before.
“I think that last weekend’s wins were great for us,” senior Victoria Boraski said. “We really needed that. It’s really put us on a high note going into this weekend … But we can’t let up and we have to go into this weekend and give it all we’ve got.”

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Javier Fernández

LSU senior Cati Leak (24) digs the ball during the Tigers' 5-0 defeat against Florida St. on Saturday, Apr. 02, 2016 at Mango's Beach Volleyball Club.