Press Release courtesy of LSU Athletics.
After starting off conference with a 1-1 record, the LSU volleyball team will return to the road for two matches, beginning at South Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. CT in the Carolina Volleyball Center. Following the match against the Gamecocks, the Tigers will head to No. 1 Florida on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT in the Exactech Arena.
The match between the Tigers (10-3, 1-1 SEC) and the Gamecocks (8-5, 1-0 SEC) will be aired on SEC Network and SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.com and the app with Courtney Lyle and Jenny Hazelwood on the call.
Fran’s Final Thoughts
“South Carolina is an extremely talented, athletic team that poses challenges in many different positions. They have outstanding returners and a very impactful freshman class, just as we do. Every time we play South Carolina it is a great match, filled with huge momentum-changing plays. It’s going to be a battle and we are going to have to be very consistent on our side of the net to be successful.”
Last Time Out
The Tigers fell to Kentucky last Sunday, falling in straight sets by scores of 25-22, 25-16 and 25-13. LSU stuck with the No. 10 ranked Wildcats in the first set as both teams hit .452. But the Tiger defense struggled to stop the Kentucky offense the rest of the match. Taylor Bannister led the way with nine kills, while Gina Tillis put together a team-high seven digs.
A Look at South Carolina
South Carolina is currently 8-5 on the season and is 1-0 in conference action. The Gamecocks have won three of their last four matches and are coming off a five-set victory over Mississippi State to open conference action. Mikayla Shields leads the offense for the Gamecocks. She is hitting .331 on the year with a total of 181 kills for an average of 3.69 per set. Courtney Koehler is dishing out 9.39 assists per set for a total of 460 assists on the season. In the back row, Aubrey Ezell leads with 216 digs on the year, averaging 4.41 per set.
Team Notes
>> The Texas A&M victory last week was the first time the Tigers opened SEC action with a win since the 2011 season and it’s the first time the Tigers opened up SEC action at home with a win since the 2012 season.
>> Over the weekend, Taylor Bannister led with 22 kills, averaging 3.67 per set. She finished with a .304 hitting percentage. Olivia Beyer and Gina Tillis were also very impactful on the weekend, hitting .429 and .368, respectively.
>> Tillis also picked up 19 digs on the weekend, averaging 3.17. She picked up sixth double-double on the year and 22nd in her career against Texas A&M with 11 kills and 12 digs.
>> Tillis is getting close to 1,000 career kills. She currently sits at 942 with 58 left to go to reach the feat. She will become the 22nd Tiger in program history to reach 1,000 kills.
>> Among the league on the year, the Tigers rank sixth in hitting percentage at .243 and eighth in opponent hitting percentage at .184.
>> Anna Zwiebel ranks eighth in the conference in assists at 9.33 per set, while Raigen Cianciulli is seventh with 3.98 digs per set. Jacqui Armer is third in blocks at 1.41 per set, which also ranks 29th in the nation.
Follow LSU Volleyball
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visitwww.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsuvolleyball along with @lsuvolleyball and @lsucoachfran on Twitter and @lsuvolleyball on Instagram.
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