LSU volleyball returns to Baton Rouge this weekend to face off against Oklahoma and Texas A&M and is looking to turn the tables after a 1-3 start to conference play.
LSU’s sole conference win so far was a 3-0 match against Mississippi State, but the team has fallen to Missouri, Texas, and Ole Miss.
The biggest question for the Tigers as they head into Week 3 is how can they turn it around?
The 2024 season started off strong with a 8-3 record to show for it. But as the Bayou Bengals entered conference play, the immaturity of this team was exposed— not through outbursts of anger or lack of physical ability, but through their inability to “cope with mistakes,” according to head coach Tonya Johnson.
In NCAA volleyball, “It’s all about momentum,” Johnson said after LSU’s 0-3 loss to San Diego in September.
That remains true today, but unfortunately the Tigers have been ineffective in disrupting the momentum of their opponents in SEC play.
The Tigers field a very young team. The freshmen were playing high school level volleyball just a year ago, and the sophomores just have a year of college experience under their belt— not a lot of experience to speak of.
While LSU’s youth has played a factor in all of their losses, the Tigers are playing good volleyball overall even though their record may not reflect it, Johnson said.
Jurnee Robinson leads the team with over 250 kills, Angelina Lee with 112 and freshman Jessica Jones with 86.
The Tigers also boast 120 blocks, and 63 aces. But why aren’t they winning close games?
The answer is somewhat complicated.
Let’s check the facts. LSU has a winning record, and the Tigers have won against good teams but have also come up short against good teams.
So, it makes you wonder, if LSU can beat good teams, why aren’t they consistently doing that?
The answer to that question is much simpler: LSU hasn’t figured out how to handle success and failure, like when the other team finds its rhythm.
Certainly, the Tigers have played very well at times, but when the Tigers go down, they usually go down hard and fast. That’s why Johnson has been focused on LSU getting to a fast start.
But the Tigers’ inability to win close matches or finish games in three sets when they are 2-0 has nothing to do with their physical ability and everything to do with their mental.
Unforced errors, questionable calls and bad mistakes are bound to happen to every player in every sport at any given time.
But what separates good players from great players, and good teams from the teams that get giant gold rings at the end of their season?
Those players and those teams possess the ability to shake off a dropped pass, a missed free throw or a bad lifting call at match point.
They just forget it; they move on and they keep playing. They don’t “linger on the last play,” like Johnson said LSU has been doing.
“I think the secret is just forgetting about it, and know you aren’t going to be perfect,” Johnson said.
LSU won 3-0 against Mississippi St. but lost 3-1 to Ole Miss last weekend, returning home 1-1.
Johnson credited her team with responding well against Mississippi State last weekend for its first conference win, but also recognized the fact that her team was unable to replicate that same level of response when needed against Ole Miss.
This week, the Tigers are focused on fundamental volleyball, remaining consistent mentally to lock into the gameplay instead of dwelling on mistakes and not letting uncomfortable situations force them into old habits.
With all the things LSU has to fix, you might expect to hear all sorts of yelling and whistles to cover up the screech of shoes on hardwood, but at practice this week Johnson was surprisingly quiet.
“I usually talk a lot more, [but] I was just trying to pay attention, figure out if those are the best changes for us,” Johnson said about it, referring to the new defensive package that LSU has installed ahead of their matchup against Oklahoma.
It was after practice when Johnson did most of her talking, emphasizing to her team the importance of attacking the game with the right mindset.
“We can do some really great things, but until we learn that side of it, we’re going to be up and down a little bit,” Johnson said.
With the Tigers hard at work this week, they are hoping to see the fruits of their labor as they head into Week 3 of conference play.
LSU will next play on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma and again on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. against Texas A&M, both in the PMAC.
