Inconsistency has killed the LSU volleyball team’s hopes for an eighth-straight Southeastern Conference Western Division title, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers can’t ruin someone else’s chances in their final road trip of the season.
Before they take on Tennessee (19-6, 12-4 SEC), ranked third in the conference, in Knoxville on Sunday, the Tigers (12-14, 8-9 SEC) travel to Gainesville, Fla., on Friday to play No. 16 Florida (21-4, 15-1 SEC), who can clinch a share of the conference title with a win.
“I don’t know if I can promise we’re always executing, but we’re always working our hardest,” said senior defensive specialist Meghan Mannari. “We know it’s right at the end, so we know it’s a grind you just have to tough out.”
The Tigers have gone 1-1 over the week seven times during conference play. There are clear patterns: the win came Friday in all but one of those weekend series and in both of the quick Wednesday turnarounds after a Sunday loss, they lost again followed by a Sunday win.
LSU coach Fran Flory said the team has tried multiple fixes to fruitless results. She postulated that the inconsistency may be due to the physical limitations of inexperienced youth and injured veterans or an inability to face a new team after focusing on another all week.
“It may be just a part of the educational and maturity process we have to go through as a team to grow up,” Flory said.
While the team won’t claim a championship this season as Flory is accustomed to, she doesn’t label it a disappointment.
“It’s been frustrating in a lot of ways, but this team has grown a lot,” Flory said. “We’ve grown as individuals and grown as a team. I’m proud of our seniors and the way our team has continued to play hard even when we aren’t playing for the season goals that we started with in the beginning. … This season is not a failure to me. This season is a success for me.”
