Volleyball in the SEC is lingering, and LSU volleyball is heading into it with a 5-5 record after a non-conference performance that was considered to be below expectations by many.
Of LSU’s 10 non-conference matches, the only ranked opponent the Tigers faced was then No. 20 Creighton. Also of the 10, only two were a part of a Power Five conference. With statistically weaker foes for most of the season, head coach Tonya Johnson said that there’s definitely games that her and her team felt they could have won.
LSU secured one win over Power Five foe UCLA in its home opener, but the Tigers have yet to show another impressive win yet. With SEC competition kicking off this week, Johnson is ready to take what her team learned in the non-conference and execute a new and improved game plan.

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“You know, I think in the whole scheme of things, obviously we [would’ve] loved to play better and get some matches back,” Johnson said. “But I think at the end of the day, those matches taught us something about ourselves and taught us some lessons. We’ve been able to come back into the gym and get back to work and try to get better.”
In an effort to fix her squad’s performance, Johnson made the decision to start subbing defensive specialists in the backrow for her outside hitters. Prior to this adjustment, both outsides were playing six rotations and carrying quite the load for LSU’s defense.
“I felt like our defense was a little chaotic,” Johnson said. “So, we wanted to calm things down in the back row. I think it helped calm things down a little bit.”
LSU’s first SEC opponent is No. 22 Kentucky. The Tigers travel to Lexington in hopes of pulling off another shocking upset over the Wildcats. In last season’s SEC opener, LSU took then No. 15 Kentucky to five sets on its home court and walked away with the 3-2 upset.
Despite the program-changing win last season, Johnson is leaving the past behind and focusing on what Kentucky will bring to the court this time around.

“Here we are a year later, you know, and that was a really fun match for us,” Johnson said. “Obviously this year has nothing to do with last year, and so of course, they’re a completely different team. We’re a completely different team. We’re going to have to go out and battle.”
What exactly does Kentucky bring to the court this time around? For starters, the Wildcats return their entire roster from last season and add a few transfers and freshmen into the mix.
Head coach Craig Skinner led his team through the non-conference and finished with a 2-6 record, but Johnson knows how misleading this statistic is and expects more from Skinner’s bunch.
“Oh my God, their record is no indication of how good they are,” Johnson said about Kentucky’s volleyball team. “I mean, they have played a really, really tough schedule this preseason, and I’m sure they’ve learned from it just as we have. They’re going to be really good on Friday night, and they’re going to be ready to compete. We need to be able to match that.”

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The Wildcats played a stretch of six ranked nonconference opponents, including a handful of top-10 teams. Star player Reagan Rutherford and reigning SEC Player of the Year Emma Grome lead the pack, along with major contributions from Eleanor Beavin, Elise Goetzinger and Azhani Tealer.
“I think Reagan Rutherford is one of the best lefties in the country, if not the best left in the country from an offensive standpoint,” Johnson said. “She’s got every shot. She’s attacking from the front row and from the back row, so they use her really well.”
“Kentucky is very good defensively, you know, on the defensive side of the [game],” Johnson said. “I expect that it’s going to be a scrappy match, and their setting is really good. I think their setter (Grome) always puts their hitters in a really good position. So, I’m expecting it to be a really good match against a very tough and good Kentucky team.”

Kentucky was picked to finish alone atop of the rankings, taking the SEC championship title home for themselves. Since 2017, Kentucky has clinched at least a share of the title. In comparison, LSU was picked to finish sixth in the conference.

Johnson and her Tiger team have high expectations for SEC play after the success that came in the 2022 season. What the coaches and players will focus on is improving every aspect of their game, according to Johnson.

“I think it’s going to be important for us to continue to get better at our blocking and plan defense behind our block. I think it’s going to be important for us to continue to develop really good servers and put pace on the ball so that we can get teams in trouble a little bit,” Johnson said. “Then offensively, I think we have to be able to dig-to-transition to be able to put some pressure on them offensively. I like where we are in terms of our serve-receive offense, but we’ve got to be better in the dig-to-transition standpoint.”