For the second time in as many matches, an opponent marched into the PMAC only to hand the LSU volleyball team another check in the loss column.
This time, it was No. 4 Texas who dealt the blow to the Tigers in a three-set sweep Saturday.
“We got anxious, or overran, or tried to do a little too much blocking and then we got in trouble,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “[That’s] the mark of a veteran team versus an inexperienced team and a great match for us to play to learn from. But unfortunately, we couldn’t learn through the match and by the end of it really get the hang of things.”
The Tigers started all three sets strong, but they couldn’t keep pace with the bigger and faster Texas, which returned 9 of 11 players from a 2012 national championship team.
Flory said the loss wasn’t all bad, though, as the coach thought her team played well against the more-experienced Texas squad. The match also exposed several holes for the Tigers to work on offensively, which Flory appeared to be optimistic about.
“Our kids executed the defensive game plan we asked them to very well,” Flory said. “We extended rallies, we made some great plays, we got impatient in plays and didn’t make digs that were within our range, but for the most part I thought we did our job defensively.”
One of the key focal points for the Tigers heading into the game was an increased priority on junior setter Malorie Pardo leading the offense. Flory said she felt Pardo got frustrated at times with the offense, but a large portion of that was due to a weak passing performance on first-ball hits.
Pardo recorded 29 assists and 10 digs on the night. The Texas native said the loss exposed plenty of areas in need of improvement, particularly in her own game.
“I couldn’t find my hitters as easy,” Pardo said. “I was a little shaky today, and I’m not sure why. I’m going to be in [the gym] Monday working on it. We didn’t have that flow today we usually have. I’m the only setter, so I’m trying to find it and just couldn’t. Sometimes we had it and sometimes we didn’t, and I just couldn’t keep it.”
The return of senior middle blocker Desiree Elliott also adds a bit of optimism to the Tigers’ squad.
Elliott had been limited in recent matches because of a lingering foot injury. Although she did not receive the start, Saturday marked the first time Elliott was able to see significant playing time in several weeks.
Elliott recorded seven kills for a team-leading .353 hitting clip against Texas. She also posted seven digs for the day.
“[Having Elliott back] changes us completely because it changes our tempo,” Flory said. “ Khourtni [Fears] and [Briana Holman] are big and physical, and we’ve been able to match up against most teams in the middle because they’re as big or more physical than most teams. That wasn’t the case with tonight.”