Lady'Backs take on No. 11 LSU Wednesday

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas volleyball team faces its second ranked opponent this week traveling to No. 11 LSU Wednesday for a mid-week Southeastern Conference match. Arkansas enters the week with a 15-9 record and an even 8-8 mark in the SEC and with just four matches remaining in the regular season, the Lady’Backs are looking for some wins. "I think we need to win at least two more matches to have a shot at getting into the NCAA Tournament," said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. "It’s a big next couple of weeks. We start with another great team and a chance to play a top 25 team. We played LSU close at home and I think this will be a very competitive match." The Lady Razorbacks have had a bit of an up-and-down season. Arkansas began the year with a 7-1 non-conference start but struggled in the first 10 SEC matches playing to a 3-7 record. The five-match losing streak saw Arkansas slip to 10th in the league with the Lady’Backs dropping several close contests in the final points. The Arkansas coaching staff pulled the team together asking players to focus on a "new" season – the final 10 SEC matches. "We tried to convince them that this was a new season," said Poole. "We wanted to start over and really focus on the remaining matches and let those games define this team. Everyone really bought into that philosophy and that has translated into wins on the court." In fact, Arkansas is 5-1 in their "new" season with the lone loss a four-game setback to No. 7 Florida Sunday. "We played well for the first three games of the Florida match," said Poole. "I think that level of play is what we expect every time we go out there and if we can get that, we’ll win more than we lose." Senior Amy Allison had a stand out weekend for Arkansas. The Jenks, Okla., native hit .429 with 30 kills and 16 blocks last weekend leading the Lady’Backs. Redshirt sophomore Christina Lawrence was also solid with several key plays as the Lady’Backs downed the Gators in game three Sunday. "We have a pretty balanced attack if everyone is on," said Poole. "We really do have several weapons but we’ve had to really so much on Denny (Koleva) for much of the season. She’s done a great job of making big plays when we needed them. She’s getting some help now, with other players stepping up as well." Arkansas returns to the friendly confines of Barnhill Arena for senior day hosting Alabama Sunday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. The Lady’Backs wrap up the SEC regular season at Mississippi Nov. 17 and at Mississippi State No. 19. For more information about Arkansas volleyball, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.