The LSU volleyball team saw its season come to an end last Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers (20-9, 14-4 Southeastern Conference) defeated Oklahoma in straight sets Thursday, leading to a matchup with the No. 10 overall seed and host team Oregon for a chance to advance to the round of 16. But the Ducks were ultimately too much for the Tigers, defeating them in four sets: 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20.
“They played a great match. Honestly, we didn’t have an answer for [junior outside hitter Martenne] Bettendorf,” LSU coach Fran Flory said in a news release following the match. “We wish them the best of luck. We are sorry for our kids, but we played with great heart.”
Heart was what LSU showed all season to even get to that point.
The Tigers lost junior middle blocker Khourtni Fears to a knee injury before the season started, which left a hole in Flory’s rotation and led to some early season struggles.
LSU lost four of its first six games and sat at 5-4 after finishing its non conference schedule. The Tigers faced three of the SEC’s top four teams — Kentucky, Alabama and Florida — to open league play.
LSU dropped all three matches in four sets but was close in a number of sets that could have turned the matches. The Tigers were 5-7 overall and 0-3 in the SEC following that stretch.
But with its season at a crossroads, LSU took down Arkansas in five sets and set off on its path to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Tigers won 13 of their next 14 games, including an 11-match winning streak during which they upended then-No. 12 Kentucky on the road.
LSU finished third in the SEC behind Kentucky and Florida.
The Tigers will see much of their talent from this season return. Sophomore middle blocker Briana Holman is widely regarded as a top tier player in the conference, averaging five points per set. Holman along with junior outside hitter Cati Leak, who averaged over three points per set, were named to the All-SEC Team.
LSU’s next three highest point-gainers, junior outside hitter Katie Lindelow and freshmen outside hitters Mimi Eugene and Gina Tillis, all return next season as well. Tillis was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Defensively, the Tigers bring back junior defensive specialist Haley Smith, who finished third in the SEC in digs per set and eclipsed the 1,000 career digs mark earlier this season.
But the biggest loss comes from the Tigers’ passing game. LSU loses its four-year starting setter Malorie Pardo. The Tigers will likely turn to freshman Elly Ogle to replace Pardo.
With so much talent returning, Leak said this season is a building block for next year, and she expects LSU to advance even further in next year’s tournament.
“Last year, we were hoping to get to the second round, this year we expected it and next year we expect to go further because we have confidence and depth,” Leak said in a news release following the team’s loss to Oregon. “Our freshmen got a lot of chances this year. We are going to miss all the seniors, and it was an honor to play with them, but we are going to play for everyone who doesn’t get the chance to do this again.”