Volleyball: LSU to compete in NCAA tournament

For the sixth year in a row, the No. 15 LSU volleyball team will compete for a national championship.

The Tigers (25-4) earned the No. 13 seed in the 64-team NCAA tournament. LSU placed in the Norman, Okla., region to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (30-2) in their first round match Friday at 6 p.m.

"We're really excited and certainly glad that the committee felt like our season merited a top-16 seed, and we're happy to be No. 13 for sure," said LSU coach Fran Flory. "That's a tough first round match for us, but every first round match is tough. At this point, everybody is playing for the end of their season."

LSU is one of only 18 programs to earn a spot in the last six NCAA tournaments and will face a No. 23 ranked Tulsa team that boasts the nation's longest winning streak at 29 matches, dating back to opening weekend. The Golden Hurricane also tout the nation's kills and assists leader.

Tulsa sophomore setter Jordan Clampitt has dished out 13.18 assists per set, most of them going to sophomore outside hitter Tyler Henderson, who averages an astounding 6.23 kills per set.

"Having to match up against Tyler Henderson is a tough matchup, but the bottom line is we want to play the top. … We'll take a shot at them," Flory said. "I think our team is very ready and excited for the end of the season but we have a lot of respect for the people that are in our bracket and the people that would be across the net from us."

The Tigers garnered their sixth-consecutive Southeastern Conference Western Division crown this season and earned an overall second place finish in the SEC standings.

This year's NCAA tournament features six SEC schools, including Auburn, who will make its first appearance in school history.

Flory said the tail end of the SEC slate featured several games with "playoff atmospheres." Senior outside hitter Angela Bensend said these types of matches help prepare the team for the tournament.

"We've been playing every game as an NCAA tournament match, and we want to be ready," Bensend said. "We've been doing really well, having hard places to play at and the fans, and I think it's going to help us when we get to the tournament."

If LSU wins its first round game, it will face either Oklahoma (21-10) or Wichita State (21-7) on Saturday.

The winner of that match will advance to the Sweet 16, held in University Park, Pa., and likely face No. 4 Penn State.

"I think this pod of four people in the first and second round is one of the toughest if not the toughest in the country," Flory said. "There's nobody in this tournament that doesn't have the background and the wins and the experience to be here."

Overall, Bensend said the season has been a success, and the team is ready for the challenges ahead.

"It's been a great season. We've played very well, we finished strongly and we got a great seed into the tournament, so we're excited," Bensend said. "It's going to be a lot of fun, and it's a good spot for us. I can't wait to go."

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Contact Mark Clements at mclements@lsureveille.com