The luck of the Irish fell short in Notre Dame’s match Tuesday against the LSU volleyball squad. LSU (18-4) defeated Notre Dame (9-10) in five games with a total of 22 lead changes. The Tigers received some extra motivation Tuesday with the announcement that they dropped out of the top 25 rankings for the first time in 23 weeks. The drop came as a surprise to many since the No. 25 Tigers were coming off wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss. “We didn’t want to make it a really big deal, but we definitely knew we needed to win,” said junior outside hitter Marina Skender. “We’ll fight to get our spot back.” Junior outside hitter Kyna Washington said she thought it was “weird” the Tigers dropped in the rankings after winning. “We try not to worry about the rankings,” she said. Washington reached a milestone Tuesday night, earning her 1,000th career kill in Tuesday’s match. “My mom keeps me posted on my stats, and I just play,” Washington said. “But I did know I was close to getting to 1,000 before the match.” Sophomore middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo led the Tigers with 23 kills while sophomore middle blocker Brittnee Cooper added 21. LSU coach Fran Flory said the solid play of DeGirolmao and Cooper was crucial for the Tigers’ performance. Sophomore outside hitter Serinity Phillips headlined Notre Dame’s offensive attack with 20 kills. “We had a really hard time with Phillips in the first three games, but we were able to figure her out and contain her later,” Flory said. Many LSU fans likely noticed the familiar face of LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri in the PMAC crowd. Mainieri stopped by the PMAC after his team’s intrasquad scrimmage at Alex Box Stadium. Mainieri, who previously coached at Notre Dame, said he was watching the LSU volleyball team for the first time. “It’s awesome to watch other LSU teams play,” he said. Mainieri said he became friends with Notre Dame volleyball coach Debbie Brown because their offices were close to one another. He said he called Brown to let her know he would be stopping by the match. “But there’s no doubt my loyalty is with the purple and gold,” Mainieri said.
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