The LSU volleyball closed out a tough weekend Saturday night when it fell in four sets to No. 7 Florida State.
The Tigers (2-4) gave the the Seminoles (8-0) an early scare Saturday in the final contest of the Florida State Invitational by taking the first set, 25-19. But the tournament hosts fought back and won the next three sets by a combined score of 75-58.
“I was absolutely proud of our effort tonight, because I think we gave Florida State all it could handle tonight,” said LSU coach Fran Flory in a news release. “I challenged them before the match and told them that sometimes you have to play for something greater than yourself. I thought they did that and the fight demonstrated the fact that they do have something more in them.”
LSU junior outside hitter Cati Leak led the Tigers with a game-high 18 kills and earned a double-double with 12 digs and a .265 hitting clip.
Sophomore middle blocker Briana Holman added 14 kills and six blocks with a .345 hitting percentage.
“Cati was balanced and she did it all for us today,” Flory said. “It was a very veteran effort from Cati and the effort we’ve been looking for from the upperclassmen. She really had a great weekend, and very proud of her effort.”
The loss came after LSU split its first two games of the tournament with a loss to Central Arkansas (3-6) Friday and a victory against Samford (3-6) on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers opened their weekend with a loss to the Sugar Bears in a close, back-and-forth battle that saw the Sugar Bears win in five sets.
“The pace of the match was fast, and you have to credit Central Arkansas because they played a fast system and we couldn’t catch up,” Flory said. “We gave a good effort, but certainly not good or gritty enough to win.”
LSU responded with a four-set victory against Samford in a contest in which three sets were decided by two points, and a 25-7 third set in the Tigers’ favor proved to be the difference.
The win marked Flory’s 300th as LSU’s head coach, making her the second Tiger to reach the milestone and bringing her to within eight wins of former Tiger coach Scott Luster’s program record.
“The Samford match was a win that we had to have,” Flory said. “I thought we played ok, but we didn’t have the tenacity that I thought we needed in a match like that, but I was proud of the effort.”