by Matt Dunaway, Associate Sports Information Director
BATON ROUGE -- The No. 20 LSU volleyball team returns home Friday to square off against Georgia after having a limited work week following its Monday’s victory over Tennessee. First serve against the Bulldogs is on-tap for 7 p.m. at the Maravich Center.
“The short week to prepare has certainly changed our approach,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We’re going to have to really mentally prepare because we won’t have the time on the court that we’re used to having to game plan.”
Lauren DeGirolamo, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week, has posted seven or more digs in 15 of 21 matches, including a career-best 16 digs both at Kentucky and at Tennessee. She also cranked a season-best 12 kills at Tennessee and ranks fourth with 1.14 blocks per set in SEC matches.
“Lauren has gained the confidence on the right side that she had as a middle blocker,” Flory said. “It’s very difficult as a fifth-year senior to change positions for the first time. We didn’t find the right offensive options to set her and in transition until recently. She’s also come into her own on defense along with passing and made a tremendous difference on our team.”
The Tigers (16-5, 10-2 SEC) will try to get Brittnee Cooper and Michele Williams back into an offensive rhythm after the pair was limited to combined .217 hitting percentage last weekend. Cooper managed to produce a pair of nine-block efforts and paces the SEC with 1.38 blocks per set. Williams also picked up 11 blocks and her 1.14 rejections per frame are fourth in the SEC rankings.
“Brittnee does a great job of balancing,” Flory said. “If her offense isn’t going well, she’s going to lock in defensively. I thought Kentucky and Tennessee had players that could match up with her. The goal of many teams we face is take Cooper away. We didn’t force the issue and relied on our other players around her to do a great job.”
Marina Skender has powered home a team-best 263 kills and her 4.07 spikes per frame are fourth-best in the SEC. She also posted a pair of double-doubles and overtook Kelly Thompson [1996-99] for ninth place on the program list with her 18 kills at Tennessee. Skender enters the UGA match 11 kills away from passing Jennifer Hampton [1999-2002] for the No. 8 position
Sam Dabbs has continued her strong play and distributed 10.95 assists per set which is good enough for second in the SEC. She has upped her average to 11.40 helpers per frame in league matches.
Angela Bensend has belted 61 kills on .291 hitting percentage in her last 10 matches and attacked at over a .400 clip six times. LSU is 13-1 when Bensend reaches double-digit kills over the last three seasons.
Lauren Waclawczyk and Sam Delahoussaye have combined for 24 double-figure dig matches. The pair have both reached that feat in four of LSU’s last six matches. Waclawczyk’s 3.51 digs per frame ranks 10th in the SEC.
“After a shaky start where she tried to be too good at the beginning of the season, Lauren has done a nice job of handling our libero position,” Flory said. “It’s a passing position first and she has continued to mature into role. The mental side is sometimes more difficult than the physical side. Sam has stepped into a back row sub role is very impressive as a freshman. Every team goes after her early in matches and she weathers the storm. She settles into a nice rhythm and makes some great plays.”
Georgia (14-9, 5-7 SEC) has strung together three straight wins, including a 3-2 Wednesday triumph over Auburn. The Bulldogs are led by Erika Clark, who has posted a team-best 44 kills during the streak. Valentina Gonzalez ranks in the SEC’s Top 10 in hitting percentage (.331), blocks (1.10) and aces (0.38), while Ann Dylla is the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
“Georgia is a hot team right now,” Flory said. “They have great young players to go along with nice veterans. They beat Auburn possess great balance and our match in Athens was extremely tight. They’ll be ready for us.”
Live video and stats for the UGA 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.
Tickets are now on-sale at www.LSUSports.net, the official Web site of LSU Athletics. Tickets also can be purchased at the ticket office on the first floor of the Athletics Administration Building or by calling (225) 578-2184. LSU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a valid LSU ID.
LSU volleyball also is offering the Friends and Family Pass where fans receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for only $20.
