Virginia Set for LSU Tiger Classic This Weekend
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| Virginia at LSU Tiger Classic | |
| Date/Time | Friday-Saturday, Sept. 2-3 |
| Livestats | Southern Miss | LSU | UConn |
| Location | Baton Rouge, La. | Maravich Center |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
Sept. 1, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (2-1) will compete in the LSU Tiger Classic on Friday and Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Cavaliers open play on Friday against Southern Miss at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT before playing tournament-host LSU at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT. UVA will then take on UConn on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.
Live stats for all three matches will be available on VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia finished 2-1 in its home tournament, the Cavalier Classic, to open the 2016 season. The Cavaliers swept Buffalo and George Washington before falling to Northwestern, 3-1, in the title match.
UVA had a strong performance at the net with 29 total blocks in three matches. The Cavaliers recorded 10 blocks in the win over Buffalo and had 11 blocks against Northwestern. Senior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.), a Preseason All-ACC selection, recorded double-figure kills in all three matches for the Cavaliers. Kole averaged 3.40 kills per set on a .318 hitting percentage.
Southern Miss finished 2-1 in its home tournament last weekend. The Golden Eagles defeated McNeese, 3-1, and Grambling, 3-0, but fell to Tulane in a close five-set match. Stephany Purdue leads the team with 3.92 kills per set on .425 hitting percentage and is adding 1.00 blocks per set. It is the first meeting between UVA and Southern Miss.
LSU (2-1) opened the season at Duke’s Tournament. The Tigers defeated Eastern Kentucky, 3-0, and UNC Greensboro, 3-1, but fell to Duke, 3-0. Gina Tillis led LSU with 3.70 kills per set. Virginia and LSU have met twice, and split the two meetings. UVA won the most recent contest, 3-0, on Aug. 29, 2003.
UConn (2-0) opened the season last weekend at the Syracuse Invite. The Huskies defeated Syracuse 3-1 and topped Colgate 3-1. Jade Strawberry is averaging 3.88 kills per set and Kenya Cason is adding 3.50 kills per set to lead the offense. Virginia and UConn are meeting for the fourth time. UVA leads the series 2-1, but the Huskies won the most recent meeting, 3-1, on Sept. 17, 2011.
Virginia will remain on the road next weekend when it travels to Lexington, Ky. for the Bluegrass Battle hosted by Kentucky. The Cavaliers will play St. Louis on Friday (Sept. 9) and Kentucky and Marquette on Saturday (Sept. 10).