It has been a rocky start for the LSU volleyball team.
LSU (1-7, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) began the season with five straight losses before its first win this season against Xavier (Ohio) on Sept. 5. Following the win, the Tigers lost their next two matches at home. But signs of improvement have been spotted by LSU coach Fran Flory as her team heads into its last non-conference tournament before SEC play begins on Sept. 23.
The Tigers will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to compete in the Days Inn & Suites Lobo Invitational. The tournament, hosted by the University of New Mexico, kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night against LIU-Brooklyn (0-8) in the WisePies Arena.
For the third time this season, the Tigers will play three games in two days.
LSU faces a double header on Saturday against California State University, Northridge (1-8, 0-0 Big West Conference) at 11:30 a.m. and New Mexico (5-4, 0-0 Mountain West Conference) at 8:30 p.m.
This weekend will mark the first time LSU will face LIU-Brooklyn and CSUN in program history, and Saturday’s match against the UNM Lobos will be their first meeting in over two decades.
“This weekend will certainly be a challenge, but I think the turning point for this season begins Friday,” Flory said in a news release. “We have a chance to take all of the positives from what we just did and carry that over into what I think is the defining point of our season.”
In its last tournament before in-conference play begins, LSU has shown signs of improvement.
The Tigers played their best match this season in a strenuous loss at home against University of Miami (Fla.) (5-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). LSU showed major offensive progression, hitting .220 with 57 kills and 54 assists — all of which are season highs in 2015.
“Our offense really seemed to settle in for the first time,” Flory said. “I was proud of the offensive output in a bounce-back match in regards to our level of execution as opposed to Friday night.”
LSU bounced back after its loss to No. 22 Purdue the night before in the home-opening game. Then, the Tigers fell in three straights sets to the Hurricanes, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23.
The Tigers never finished a set more than five points behind Miami. LSU topped Miami in the second set, after Flory made a few lineup changes — giving younger players time on the court.
The inexperienced players tried to attain a second victory of the season for LSU, but the Tigers committed too many errors — digging themselves to a hole too deep for escape.
But they see this weekend as a shot at redemption.
“In matches like that, you play well enough to win, but probably made more errors that hurt you and kept you from being able to capitalize on those opportunities,” Flory said. “When you’re on a little bit of a losing streak those things tend to pile up and we’ve got to break that trend and focus on the things we can control to get us better going forward.”