LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory earned her 308th win with the program and tied her former mentor Scott Luster in a fashion that would be considered cheesy and unrealistic had it been written in a book or a screenplay.
But there was nothing fictional about LSU’s dramatic five-set win Sunday against No. 12 Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Tigers (10-7, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) came back to win after losing their first two sets. They handed Kentucky (17-3, 7-1 SEC) its first conference loss of the season and snapped its 11-game win streak. And in doing so, they gave Flory her record-tying 308th victory against her former team.
“We really believed in ourselves, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team’s effort today,” Flory said in a news release. “I told the team during a timeout in the fifth set that I want to be able to say at the end of the match that we played with great confidence, composure and purpose, and I think I can stand here and say that.”
Facing a 2-0 set deficit and trailing 16-13 in the third set, the Tigers mounted a comeback with back-to-back kills by junior outside hitter Katie Lindelow, followed by another kill by junior outside hitter Cati Leak, tying the set at 16-16 and forcing a Wildcat timeout.
LSU and Kentucky battled back and forth for the remainder of the set, and they forced six more ties in the set before the Tigers finally edged Kentucky, forcing a fourth set.
The Tigers carried their momentum into the fourth set with a dominating 25-9 victory and then into the start of the fifth set, earning the first four points of the match-deciding race to 15.
The Wildcats didn’t let LSU run away with it — they fought back and eventually tied the set at 14-14. But LSU sophomore middle blocker Briana Holman responded with a kill, giving the Tigers a 15-14 lead and setting up the game-winning kill by Lindelow to cap off the comeback.
The victory marked LSU’s first against a top 25 team this season and its first road win against a ranked opponent on the road since the Tigers defeated a No. 22-ranked Tennessee squad on Nov. 12, 2010.
“Everybody came through when they needed to come through,” Flory said. “We found a matchup that was difficult, and Kentucky had a tough time with our left side. Super proud of the effort by the entire group today.
Lindelow led the attack for LSU with a game-high 18 kills and a .212 hitting percentage. Leak and freshman outside hitter Gina Tillis followed right behind with 17 kills apiece and a combined .391 hitting clip.
Holman contributed on both sides of the ball with 12 kills and eight blocks.
After thrashing LSU with 17 kills and a .314 hitting clip last month in the first meeting between the two programs, senior outside hitter Lauren O’Conner once again led the Wildcats with 15 kills, but the Tigers held her to a .244 hitting clip on the night.
The Tigers will make their attempt at a sweep of their four-game conference road swing on Wednesday when they take on Ole Miss in a contest where they can extend their winning streak to six games and help Flory earn the title of the coach with the most wins in LSU history.
You can reach Tyler Nunez on Twitter @Nunez_TDR.