BATON ROUGE – The No. 24 LSU volleyball team carries a six-match winning streak into its Friday tilt against Arkansas at 7 p.m. inside the Maravich Center. The match serves as the program’s “Dig Pink” event as LSU will wear pink uniforms to benefit the Side-Out Foundation.
The Tigers (13-4, 7-1 SEC) are coming off a historic 3-0 sweep of No. 6 Florida where Sam Dabbs passed out 49 assists to ignite LSU to a .333 team hitting percentage. A majority of Dabbs’ 49 assists fueled LSU’s middle attack of Brittnee Cooper, Michele Williams and Lauren DeGirolamo to 38 kills on a crisp .567 hitting percentage as the Tigers defeated Florida for the first time since 1991.
LSU has strung together 23 consecutive wins over SEC Western Division opponents and opened a three-match lead over second place Alabama in the division race.
“The players have been extremely focused this week in practice,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We just need to continue what we‘ve been doing over the last couple of weeks and be consistent in doing those things that have made us successful so far.”
Dabbs became the first player in program history to pick up the prestigious AVCA National Player of the Week award. She ranks second in the SEC in addition to 24th nationally and has dished out 10.98 assists per set. Her average has improved to 11.70 helpers per frame in conference matches.
“Sam didn’t do it by herself,” Flory said. “She’s the first to thank her teammates and make sure that everyone understood that it was a team award. Our program needs that type of exposure and those awards do nothing but help us.”
Cooper continues to headline the LSU offense with 213 kills. Her .403 hitting percentage tops the SEC and ranks 13th nationally, while her 3.44 kills per set are fifth in the SEC. She has connected for 65 kills on a crisp .543 hitting clip during LSU’s current winning streak. The Houston, Texas, product also has racked up 79 blocks and her 1.27 per set ratio ranks second in the SEC.
Williams has belted 65 kills in conference play and is second on the squad with 57 blocks, including a team-best 17 solo stuffs. Her 1.06 blocks per set ranks fifth in the SEC. The Magnolia, Texas, native also has cranked 13 of her team-leading 25 aces over her last eight matches and her 0.46 per set average paces the SEC.
DeGirolamo has popped five or more kills on better than a .500 hitting percentage four times, including nine spikes on a .571 clip against No. 6 Florida. She has provided 38 of her 50 blocks in her last 11 matches and her 1.04 per set average in conference play ranks eighth in the SEC.
“Lauren emerging on the right side is another step in our transition offense,” Flory said. “We’re figuring out new ways to get her involved. You have credit her with her approach to the season. She has created a new opportunity for herself and is a great team leader that has been a big part of our success.”
Marina Skender has powered home double-digit kills in 12 straight matches and slapped 83 kills on a .305 hitting percentage during LSU’s six-match winning streak. Her 4.15 kills per set in conference play rank second, while her 0.37 aces per set are third in the SEC.
Angela Bensend continues to emerge and has knocked seven or more kills in three of the last five matches. The Tigers are 13-1 over the last three seasons when Bensend reaches double-figure kills.
Lauren Waclawczyk has reached double-digit digs in 12 of her 15 starts at defensive specialist, including seven of her last eight outings. She has corralled 3.89 digs per set in league matches and ranks ninth, while her 0.29 aces per set are just outside the SEC’s Top 10.
Sam Delahoussaye has added seven double-figure dig efforts highlighted by consecutive 12-dig performances against South Carolina and No. 6 Florida last weekend. She also has tallied a perfect reception percentage in nine of her last 12 matches.
“Lauren and Sam’s confidence level working together continues to grow,” Flory said. “They’ve become very stable and are taking more court responsibility.”
Arkansas (10-10, 4-5 SEC) has won three of its last five matches after starting SEC action 1-3. The Razorbacks are led by Jasmine Norton, who has won the SEC Freshman of the Week award three times this season. She ranks third in league matches and has posted 4.00 kills per set. Phoebe Bautista is one of the SEC’s top defensive specialists and has reeled in 4.11 digs per set.
“Arkansas is a young team but their confidence is growing,” Flory said. “Teams that gain confidence as the season goes are very dangerous. Norton is a great outside hitter. She’s physical, fast and can put the ball away against anybody.”
Live video and stats of the Arkansas match are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the four-time defending SEC Western Division champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.
Prior to the match, LSU Athletics is teaming with LSU University Recreation [UREC] with an initiative for the LSU community to create awareness, impart knowledge and raise money as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Dr. KC White, Dean of Students and Interim Vice Chancellor of Student Life, will lead a 1-mile ‘Victory Walk’ that begins at 5:30 p.m. starting at the UREC, moves down ‘Victory Hill’ and ends at the Maravich Center. She is a breast cancer survivor and currently in the final rounds of chemotherapy treatment.
Fans unable to attend the match can still donate online to LSU’s team page to benefit the Side-Out Foundation athttps://www.side-out.org/
