The 2003 season is nearing an end for the LSU volleyball team. The Tigers (10-13, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) will play their last home games this weekend when they face Mississippi State Friday at 7 p.m. and look for revenge Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against Ole Miss.
The Tigers met both teams earlier in the season. They lost to the Rebels (5-20, 3-7) in five games at Oxford before beating the Bulldogs (1-19, 0-10 Southeastern Conference) in Starkville.
Junior Regan Hood said playing Ole Miss at the PMAC will give the Tigers an advantage they did not have in the last matchup.
“[Ole Miss] fans were real loud and that helped them get back into the game,” Hood said.
LSU coach Fran Flory said as collegiate athletes, the Tigers should have been able to deal with the tough atmosphere.
“Mississippi State and Ole Miss are traditionally difficult places for us to play,” Flory said.
She said the Tigers, after dominating game one, should not have let Ole Miss stay in the match.
“We had our opportunities at Ole Miss,” Flory said. “We shouldn’t have been in a fifth game.”
Hood, this week’s Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, said the Tigers cannot take Mississippi State and Ole Miss for granted.
Flory agreed. She said both Ole Miss and Mississippi State have a lot to gain this weekend.
“Ole Miss is fighting to get into the SEC tournament,” Flory said.
The match against the Rebels is particularly important to LSU as Ole Miss ranks No. 4 in the western division, just below the Tigers and Alabama who are tied for No. 2. If the Tigers win, they will pretty much secure a spot for themselves in the SEC tournament, according to LSU Sports Information.
“Every match is vital for us in the SEC right now,” said Flory. “I think that two wins this weekend will all but guarantee us a spot in the SEC Tournament and after that we can play for seeding.”
In their last meeting on Oct. 10, the Rebels’ Elena Garcia recorded 18 kills and 13 digs to help her team to a 3-2 victory over LSU. Freshman Kristen Carroll added 11 kills and three blocks against the Tigers.
Last weekend against Auburn, Garcia hit a career-high 23 kills for a career total of 800.
The Tigers swept the Bulldogs in their last matchup and held them to a .078 hitting percentage.
Mississippi State’s Rachel Cooper had 10 kills against the Tigers while Jami Hester recorded eight digs.