The LSU volleyball team is looking to gain another victory.
On Saturday, the Tigers (5-4) became tournament champions after competing in the UCF Classic where they defeated Seattle, UCF and Florida Atlantic in Orlando.
But even after the victory, the Tigers are practicing harder in preparation for their upcoming match against Baylor at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the PMAC.
Junior Khourtni Fears had 15 kills and seven blocking assists against UCF. Junior Gina Tillis had 21 kills and 11 digs.
With strong performances from Fears and Tillis, the Tigers hope to defeat Baylor strategically.
“We’re excited,” LSU coach Fran Flory said. “It’s a great opportunity for us. Baylor is a quality team [and] has a veteran, Katie Staiger, who takes a ton of swings and is an outstanding player.”
Baylor won its last two matches in three sets each. Staiger, standing at 6-foot-1, spearheads the team in kills, with 16 in the Bears’ most recent match against Florida A&M on Friday.
Baylor had 38 kills with 22 errors against the Rattlers.
Flory said the wins encouraged the team to work harder for the upcoming matches, especially against a tough opponent like Baylor.
“We know we’re going to have to play well, and we’re anxious to redeem ourselves on our home court and show our fans what we’re really about,” Flory said.
Recently, LSU has performed better, setting itself up for a possibly exciting night at the PMAC.
Against FAU, LSU had 55 kills and 23 errors. Though LSU played an extra set, the Tigers ultimately won the match, 3-1.
However, LSU’s start to the season wasn’t great. The UCF tournament victory came after a two-tournament losing streak, one of which was on LSU’s new volleyball court.
“Going off of three wins, we’re definitely on a high right now, but we have to realize we can’t back down from it,” Tillis said. “We actually have to work even harder in practice after a win because we can also get better.”
LSU coach Jill Lytle Wilson said she’s focusing in on the next match.
“They learned a lot about their preparation, or lack of preparation, the last time we were home,” Wilson said. “We’ve worked really hard to help them understand that — the mental and physical side of preparing to play at home and defending your home court.”