The LSU volleyball team swept the South Carolina Gamecocks (25-19, 25-21, 25-17) in Columbia, S.C., on Sunday as it continues to try for the postseason NCAA tournament.
The victory for the Tigers (17-11, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) comes after being swept by No. 7 Florida on Friday, which left the team with no margin for defeat if it wanted to accomplish its postseason dreams.
“We took the loss from Florida and we learned from it,” said junior setter Malorie Pardo. “We got back to the hotel after that game and watched film, worked hard in practice and that carried over into the game.”
Coach Fran Flory credited her team with being committed to their game plan and staying focused on their side of the net as the key reason why the Tigers were able to score the sweep.
Prior to the weekend, Flory stressed the importance of maintaining composure within matches when things aren’t going as planned and she said the Tigers made big steps in that regard on Sunday afternoon.
“We maintained our composure even when we did get down,” Flory said. “We didn’t hit the panic button that we have been hitting in other matches.”
Sophomore outside hitter Cati Leak paced the Tiger offense as she smacked down a team-leading 13 kills on an impressive .478 hitting percentage.
LSU’s efficient .946 serving percentage also keyed the Tigers to a strong serving performance which allowed them to control the match.
“We knew if we served tough and served to specific zones that would create some difficulty,” Flory said. “Our kids were spot on with their serving.”
The Tigers now have two games remaining on their schedule and must win both of them in order to have a realistic chance at competing in the postseason NCAA tournament, Flory said.
The next opportunity for the Tigers to step toward the tournament comes on Wednesday as they travel to Ole Miss.
“We need to be focused but have fun at the same time,” Pardo said. “There’s no pressure because we’re playing the game we love. We just need to implement what we do on our side, and we’ll end the season the way we want to.”