The LSU volleyball team formed a circle, eyes falling intensely on LSU coach Fran Flory.
Flory could be overheard telling the team, “You are not failing,” before the huddle dispersed and practice began Monday afternoon.
“The message to them was: I think they feel like they’re failing and certainly in athletics the scoreboard tells you that,” Flory said. “The pieces are starting to come together, and the youth of the team are developing and understanding what it takes to compete collegiately.”
LSU (5-10, 0-4 Southeastern Conference) travels this week to play Ole Miss at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Gillom Center in Oxford, Mississippi.
Beforehand, the LSU volleyball team played Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on Friday in the PMAC and lost 1-3. The Tigers also played Missouri at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the PMAC, losing 0-3.
Flory introduced the team with a new strategy for the past to contests – focusing on her players’ strengths and utilizing them.
But weaknesses outweighed strengths as LSU lost both matches.
The Tigers are now looking for their first SEC win after a six-match losing streak.
“We’re giving away easy points by not paying attention to detail, and you don’t pay attention to detail when the picture is too big,” Flory said.
Ole Miss places eighth in both assists and kills in the SEC rankings with LSU coming in at the No. 12 spot in both statistics.
“This week, we’re going to continue to work on making little things important,” Flory said. “[We’re] focusing on the process and understanding ‘I do one thing at a time. I do that well, and then the next opportunity I do that next thing well.’”