With some of the top teams in the country competing in the SEC, LSU volleyball was tasked with the No. 12 and No. 13 teams in the nation and finished the weekend in two straight-set losses.
For their first home match of SEC competition, the Tigers played host to then No. 13 Arkansas on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and was taken down in straight sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20.
Impact freshman Jurnee Robinson continued on with Robinson activities, posting 16 kills on a .308 hitting percentage with six digs. Robinson’s counterpart Sanaa Dotson followed behind her with 11 kills and four digs, but the offense ticked down in the following players.
Right side Jade Demps had four kills but contributed more in defense with 10 digs. She also had a career-high four assists and stuffed two Razorback attempts. Setter Maddie Waak put up 31 assists in the three-setter and finished with a double-double after digging 10 balls. She also contributed to the offense with three kills.
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Despite Tiger efforts, Arkansas’ gritty pin-hitters were too much to contain. Undersized but mighty, 5-foot-7 Jill Gillen hit .419 on the night and finished with 15 kills while 5-foot-10 Taylor Head killed 14 kills on a .273 mark and picked up 14 digs.
Several other Hogs contributed to the 12th-straight win for Arkansas, and they have a few LSU errors to thank. In the first set alone, the Tigers committed 10 errors and finished with a .070 hitting percentage. The second and third sets had fewer errors from the offense, but giving up nine service errors while being aced six times dug a hole for head coach Tonya Johnson’s team.
“Arkansas, they’re just grinders, and they compete their tails off,” Johnson said. “They play in their system and it works well for them. We had a couple of opportunities that we just did not take advantage of in certain parts of each set, but they’re really good.”
In the match, Arkansas only committed nine hitting errors in comparison to LSU’s 15. While the Tiger offense relied heavily on the pins, Jason Watson’s team had an evenly spread offense with multiple players contributing kills on at least a .200 mark. After a match full of errors from the Tigers and an overwhelmingly fast-paced offense from the Razorbacks, LSU just wasn’t able to finish late in sets.
Following the Wednesday night loss, LSU had a couple of nights off before hitting the road to Knoxville, Tennessee. The Tigers visited the 12th-ranked Volunteers on Sunday, Oct. 8, and were greeted with a sweep in 25-15, 25-17 and 25-13 sets.
The Tigers struggled in multiple areas of the game against Tennessee, but the lack of firepower on offense is what tanked them the most. No player on LSU’s side of the net reached double-figure kills and only two players consistently contributed with high efficiency.
Dotson led the Tigers with nine kills on a .348 clip with only one error on 23 attempts. Middle blocker Anita Anwusi followed behind her with seven kills on 12 swings with two errors to finish the night hitting .500.
As for the rest of the offensive production, it wasn’t pretty. The usual go-to attacker Robinson was limited to five kills after attempting 18 times. She also made two errors, putting her efficiency at .187 on the night. The help from the other pins was quiet too as Demps and Samarah Hill hit negative for the Tigers.
On the other side of the net, it was smooth sailing almost every second of the match. Offensively, Tennessee outhit LSU .444 to .212 and killed 49 balls in comparison to the Tigers 28. The Volunteer stat sheet reads the play of a dangerous team, and they have a three-headed dragon to thank for that.
Morgahn Fingall, Erykah Lovett and Jenaisya Moore have taken the Lady Vols and carried them all the way to the top 10. In the match against LSU, the three pin hitters couldn’t be contained.
“Tennessee, I mean, their pins are just super dynamic with fast arms and they do some things really, really well. [Caroline Kerr] is a very good setter and she runs a very good offense. She’s done a really nice job for them,” Johnson said.
On a .593 clip, Fingall put down 17 kills with only one error on 27 swings. With a performance just as great, Lovett followed with 13 kills and three errors on 24 attempts to hit .417 on the night. Moore capped the offense off with a .316 efficiency after killing seven balls with one error on 19 swings.
“I think [Arkansas and Tennessee are] the two best teams in the conference right now for sure,” Johnson said.
Even though the Tigers went 0-2 in week three of SEC play, Johnson still sees improvements in her team, including the changes she’s made in certain positions.
To start the 2023 season off, graduate transfer Erin Carmichael got the nod at libero and started over sophomore Bri Anderson. After a rocky start and under-met expectations, Anderson took over and has been making minor improvements in important areas.
“She brings her calmness to the floor. I think everyone looks to her to be the calming effect,” Johnson said. “I love when she speaks, she’s very concise and to the point, and I think the team respects her for that.”
Good changes are happening, but that doesn’t mean Johnson is avoiding the big-picture issue: LSU’s offense is struggling from the pins, aside from Robinson. With this in mind, Johnson said that she and the staff have started to work on different things with the pins, including right-side hitter Demps.
“We’ve just been trying to get Jade (Demps) to get her feet to the ball a little bit better,” Johnson said. “And [we’re] really trying to get her back in rhythm over on the right side. She’s had a really good week this week, so I’m excited to see her play tomorrow night.”
The next challenge ahead for LSU volleyball is Texas A&M. The Aggies (12-4, 4-2 SEC) come to Baton Rouge on Friday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. with hopes of snapping a two-match losing streak to the Tigers. They come into the match with impressive wins, including a five-setter against then No. 4 Florida.
Texas A&M brings the nation-leading player in blocks and blocks per set, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Cos-Okpalla averages 1.93 blocks per set on the season and has a total of 108. She’s also an offensive weapon for the Aggies, competing with a .402 clip.
Right next to Cos-Okpalla is star outside hitter Logan Lednicky. Lednicky averages 3.60 kills per set for the Aggies and averages 1.03 blocks per set. She hits at a .302 clip to pace the A&M offense.
“They’re good on every pin and they’re good in the middle. They’re the best blocking team in the conference right now,” Johnson said. “Ifenna (Cos-Okpalla) does a great job of blocking and getting out and getting hip to hip with the pins. We’re going to have our work cut out for us tomorrow night, but I think it’s going to be a great battle and we’re looking forward to playing.”
The Texas A&M match is also LSU volleyball’s Dig Pink match and will be available on SEC Network. During a set break, LSU will honor breast cancer survivors.
“I think anytime you can raise awareness about things, I think it’s a special thing. I think we’ve all known somebody who has had or has breast cancer. Every year that I’ve been in collegiate athletics, it’s always been a big match for us in the month of October. So I always look forward to our dig pink match because of the reason and because of the cause.”
After battling it out with the Aggies, LSU will have a day off before hitting the road to take on Georgia. Tom Black has led his Bulldog squad to an overall record of 10-7 but sits at 1-4 in SEC competition. The match will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, on SEC Network+.
The Bulldogs have taken a win over the Tigers in the last three meetings and are looking for a fourth straight. Despite a losing record in the SEC, the Bulldogs are still a threat with multiple weapons.
“Two great offensive powers that Georgia has: Kacie Evans hits the crap out of the ball and Sophie Fischer’s up early and has a great handle on the ball,” Johnson said.
Middle blocker Fischer ranks in the top five among SEC players in kills per set and blocks per set with numbers at 4.05 and 1.30, respectively. Outside hitter Evans is another tough competitor with an average of 3.25 kills per set on a .212 efficiency.
Black, who is the reigning SEC Coach of the Year, challenged his team in the nonconference season with matches against ranked opponents. The hard road led to a top-10 pickup against Georgia Tech, so Georgia definitely has the willpower to fight for the win against LSU.
Postseason is lingering, and two wins over tough opponents in the SEC could make a case for LSU’s chances of receiving a tournament bid. The road ahead only gets harder, but the focus starts with Texas A&M and Georgia first.
“We’re facing some really good attackers this weekend, but I think that’s our conference overall,” Johnson said. “I think our conference is so good right now, and I think that everybody has three to four kids that you have to prepare for and make sure you’re ready for.”
