LSU’s volleyball team is hoping that errors and miscues stop haunting its season this Halloween weekend.
The Tigers (7-13, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) will play two road games against South Carolina (14-6, 2-6 SEC) and No. 9 Florida (19-2, 8-1 SEC) on Oct. 28 and Oct. 30, respectively.
LSU finds itself in a three-game losing skid, but is aiming to avoid another six-game losing streak like it suffered earlier this year.
“We haven’t started games off in a good rhythm recently,” LSU coach Fran Flory said. “We can’t continue to do that against the high-caliber opponents in this league.”
This weekend’s matches will mark the second time LSU has played South Carolina and Florida this year. The Tigers played both teams last week, losing to the Gamecocks 1-3 and to the Gators in a three-set sweep.
Despite last week’s final scores, LSU’s volleyball players felt they had a good chance of beating South Carolina and Florida the first time around.
“This is definitely a winnable weekend for us,” junior outside hitter Gina Tillis said. “Last week, we came close to beating South Carolina, and we hung with Florida, so we’re pretty optimistic about this weekend.”
To Flory, the team’s offensive performance will have to improve if the Tigers want any chance at a successful road trip.
“The forte of LSU volleyball is that we’re a middle-first offense,” Flory said. “We need to get back to being a more dynamic offense and that starts with better ball control and passing.”
LSU’s offense struggled mightily in last week’s game against Missouri, a match that saw the Tigers end with a .000 hitting percentage and 27 errors committed.
LSU will have its hands full against South Carolina and Florida — two teams that average .258 and .331 attacking percentages, respectively. LSU’s current attacking average sits at .185.
Although this weekend is shaping up to provide a daunting offensive challenge, the Tigers insist early momentum will play a big role in helping them overcome their offensive slump.
“The way we play against South Carolina will dictate our attitude for the weekend,” Tillis said. “If we play South Carolina hard on Friday, we’ll be able to play Florida with some confidence.”