Link Gumbo: 10/19/2017

LSU football may still be flying high after a fantastic comeback over Auburn, but they’re not the only school sport to claim a recent victory.

Wednesday, the volleyball team won their fifth consecutive match in a row, in a five-set over the Ole Miss Rebels. The contest marked the longest match in time since at least 2000.

The same day, basketball head coach Will Wade, senior Duop Reath and junior Brandon Sampson took on an SEC Media Day in Nashville, TN. Beyond Baton Rouge, expectations for new basketball coach Will Wade appear to be low.

The media picked LSU to finish last in the SEC, which is fair enough if you’re holding on to memories from last year’s atrocious season. On top of that, the media selected zero LSU men’s basketball players to their All-SEC first or second teams. Ouch.

LSU and Tulane Basketball are scheduled to play an exhibition game to support victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma at Delving Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 31. This will be the first official meeting between the two teams in Tulane’s venue since 1974.

Men’s Tennis will continue its fall season by hosting the ITA Southern Regional this weekend (Oct. 19-23) at the LSU Tennis Complex. Teams from the SEC and other conferences will be in attendance for the major event.

Courses for the ‘Race Into Death Valley’ Inaugural Tiger 10K have now been set and released. The event features a 5k, 10k and a kid’s mile race finishing at the 50 yard line of Tiger Stadium.

In baseball, LSU coach Paul Mainieri was named coach of the 2018 USA Collegiate Team on Tuesday. This will be his second time coaching for Team USA, his last gig being one as an assistant coach on the Collegiate National Team in 2015.

If you’ve followed former LSU players in the pros, you already know Alex Bregman is killing it. Houston Astros social released this gem earlier in the week:

Bat Girl applications are now being accepted for the 2018 LSU baseball season. All interested parties must complete an online application by Nov. 1. Potential candidates will be invited for an interview the following week.

One interesting connection in this weekend’s football matchup is the fact Coach O was on the Ole Miss sideline as head coach just a decade ago. But according to an article by Geaux 247’s Billy Embody, the history there won’t be a factor when they take the field.

It looks like Tigers’ struggling offensive line will finally be getting some relief this week, as Toby Weathersby returned to full contact practice. Both he and safety John Battle are currently listed as questionable. More on Coach O’s final update to the media here, from the Advocate.

LSU is set to take on Ole Miss at 6:15 p.m. CT in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this Saturday.

The Advocate’s Ross Dellenger created this excellent feature on Coach O’s return to Oxford on Saturday night, and the various feelings surrounding it on the Ole Miss side. And of course, you’ll want to read Steven Godfrey’s report on the end of Coach O’s tenure as Ole Miss head coach, and some of the political issues that were stacked up against him in Oxford.