Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.
Gulf Shores, Ala. – The LSU Beach Volleyball team has earned a spot as the No. 5 Seed in the NCAA Championship and will match up with No. 12 FAU at 1:00 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPNU.
The Tigers have played FAU once this season and won 3-0. In the win, Courts 1, 5 and 2 swept the Owls in straight sets.
The winner of the match will take on the winner of No. 4 FSU and No. 13 FIU at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
“FAU is a great team,” said head coach Russell Brock. “They pulled off a huge win last year at this event and we expect to get their best shot. We will work hard to be prepared at every court to play our best.”
LSU has made it to Gulf Shores every season since 2017 as one of the top eight teams in the country. This year the tournament will continue with the 16-team playing field, but has moved to a single elimination tournament over the course of three days.
“Really proud of our seed,” said Brock. “We battled all year and feel like we are playing our best at the end. I’m also confident that we can be a little better for this tournament and I’m really excited to get to work and prepare for this amazing opportunity.”
The ESPN family of networks is set to televise every match of the championship and live coverage of each individual court will be available on the ESPN App.
Every year LSU is one of the best represented participants in Gulf Shores with fans all over the region. Baton Rouge and Gulf Shores are separated by just a 4-hour drive. Tickets for the NCAA Championship are available.
“This will be the most pressure we’ve faced this year…maybe in program history,” said Brock. “With the new format of single elimination, it will be vital to have great focus and ultimate confidence. We also know that our best version of our program is when we can out-team our opponents. We look forward to our whole team being involved in the energy and also the Tiger faithful joining us in Gulf Shores to cheer us on.”
The Tigers will enter the NCAA Championship with a 26-12 record, coming off a semi-final’s appearance in the CCSA Tournament.