The LSU sand volleyball team will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend to participate in the Blazer Beach Duals Tournament. The team will try to build on its momentum after winning three of four matches last weekend at home.
The Duals Tournament will begin at 8 a.m. tomorrow when the Tigers (6-7) play UAB, followed by a 12 p.m. match against ULM. The meet will wrap up Sunday with rematches against Spring Hill and the University of New Orleans, also at 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. 
“All these teams are solid programs,” said LSU coach Russell Brock. “UAB and ULM are schools we’ve never seen before, and they haven’t seen us, so it’ll be new. Spring Hill and UNO are schools we’ve seen before, so we know what to expect from them.”
The Tigers went 3-1 at last weekend’s Tiger Sand Invitational, losing only to FIU, a top-10 program. LSU beat UNO, North Florida and Spring Hill, each by a score of 5-0. 
LSU swept three opponents for the first time in program history, which built up the team’s confidence. 
“We’re a very confident bunch going into this week,” Brock said. “Obviously, we still have things we need to work on and improve, but last weekend really help our team’s confidence.”
After an impressive weekend at home last week, the Tigers look to bring their record above .500 for the first time this season.
Brock said he expects LSU to win every match this weekend if they play up to their potential. 
Going back on the road this weekend will be a tough task for the Tigers, who won’t have the comfort of the fans or playing on familiar sand to help them this weekend. 
LSU has struggled away from Mango Beach Volleyball Club this year, winning only three of nine games, and the Tigers are 0-2 in true away games. 
“It certainly won’t be like last week playing at home when we travel to Alabama this weekend,” Brock said. “We’ll have to bring our best efforts if we want to come out on top. We’ll need consistent play from all our pairs, a true team effort.”
He said the Tigers will have to bring their “A” game physically and mentally to be victorious against good teams on the road. 
“Its not something you can train, but one thing that I hope the teams learn is to play with confidence,” Brock said. “It’s hard to stop really good teams in our sport. When they are inside-out, they do it most of the time. Opportunities are limited in a set to take advantage of a good team, so we’ll have to play with confidence the whole time through.” 
  
You can reach Malcolm Poree on Twitter @MalcolmP_TDR.