LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory currently sits on 199 career wins. Friday night, she has the opportunity to make No. 200 a really, really big one.
LSU squares off against No. 2 Hawaii on Friday at 7 p.m. at the PMAC. This is the third time the Tigers and the Rainbow Wahine have faced each other. LSU is winless in the previous two meetings.
Hawaii (20-1) comes into the contest riding a 19-game winning streak. Hawaii’s sole loss this season came against No. 1 University of Southern California.
The Rainbow Wahine boast one of the best players in the country in Kim Willoughby, who is making a homecoming this weekend. Willoughby, a two-time All-American, hails from Napoleanville, La. Currently, Willoughby leads the nation with 6.65 kills per game.
Comparatively, junior Regan Hood leads the Tigers and the Southeastern Conference with 4.45 kills per game.
“It is great to have a player like Kim Willoughby back in Louisiana,” Flory said. “It shows the young girls in this area what they can do if they strive for success. She is a great role model for them.
“But Hawaii is not a one-woman show. They are a team that goes beyond just Kim Willoughby. They are outstanding all around and we will have to play against their entire team and not just one player.”
The meeting between LSU and Hawaii does not look good on paper for the Tigers. The last time Hawaii lost to an unranked opponent was Sept. 12, 1997. Conversely, LSU has never defeated an opponent ranked in the top 5.
The match against the Rainbow Wahine begins a four-game homestand for the Tigers. LSU hosts Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the PMAC.
Last season, LSU and Tennessee split the season series. LSU defeated Tennessee 3-0 in Baton Rouge. Later in the season, Tennessee returned the favor, 3-0, in Knoxville, Tenn.
LSU leads the overall series with Tennessee 23-14.
“This is a great opportunity for our team,” Flory said. “We are playing two of the top three teams in the country in the next two to three weeks. We are coming off a solid win at South Carolina. With such a young team, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose out there.”