The LSU beach volleyball team will travel to the Coconut Beach Sand Volleyball Complex in Kenner for the Green Wave Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
The Tigers will have matches against Houston Baptist and Tulane on Friday and play Arizona and Georgia State on Saturday.
“We’ve got our first win over [Tulane] in history the last time we were down there, so we know they’re going to come out gunning and they always play us tough,” said LSU associate head coach Russell Brock. “Then, we have two teams in the top 10 that we know are going to be really good. It’s just a great opportunity.”
The Tigers head into the weekend with a record of 9-4, having won five of their last six matches.
The No. 2 duo Lilly Kessler and Helen Boyle have combined for eight wins, No. 3 couple Callan Molle and Cati Leak have an 8-2 record and pair Mandi Orellana and Cheyenne Wood have combined for six wins in eight of their matches.
During the LSU Beach Invitational, duos Cati Leak and Callan Molle, Helen Boyle and Lilly Kessler, and Riley Young and Jeni Clark all won in straight sets to overpower Grand Canyon on the the opening day of the tournament.
In three sets, Megan Davenport and Cheyenne Wood beat Grand Canyon’s pairs, but Katie Lindelow and Ashley Allmer fell short against their opponent losing in two sets, with a final score of 21-19 in both.
LSU defeated Grand Canyon 4-1, but the Tigers struggled to gain a winning advantage over Florida State, losing 0-5.
“Last weekend, we got a good win from Grand Canyon, and we learned a lot from Florida State, who has had a program for way longer than us,” Boyle said. “Going into this weekend coming up, we have opportunities to beat teams that will help us move up in the rankings and put us in a good spot for post season. What we learned from last weekend is definitely going to benefit us this upcoming weekend.”
The Tigers’ matchup against Tulane marks their second meeting of the season. LSU beat Tulane, 3-2, for the first time in the program’s history on March 18 at White Sands in Metairie.
Orellana and Wood won in straight sets against Tulane. Victoria Boraski and Young won LSU’s second score, 2-0, in extra sets.
Tulane was a worthy opponent, beating pair Lindelow and Allmer in straight sets. Boyle and Kessler lost in three sets, and Molle and Leak earned LSU’s last point in straight sets.
“Being able to show them it isn’t a one-time thing is going to be fun to really take advantage of again,” Leak said.
LSU sophomore Riley Young (1) prepares for the match during the Tigers' 5-0 defeat against Florida St. on Saturday, Apr. 02, 2016 at Mango's Beach Volleyball Club.
