The LSU volleyball team was looking for rhythm on offense after some ups and downs during a 1-1 start in the Shamrock Invitational in South Bend, Ind., this weekend.
The Tigers (2-1) seemed to find that rhythm with the return of senior setter Sam Dabbs, who flew to Indiana on Saturday afternoon after being medically cleared to play against Notre Dame (2-1) on Sunday afternoon.
Dabbs came down with the H1N1 virus last week but got healthy in time to help LSU sweep Notre Dame, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-23).
“I can’t say enough about how well prepared our team was,” said LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory, who picked up her 200th win at LSU with the victory. “They showed great poise and confidence in a tough environment.”
Notre Dame defeated No. 5 Stanford on Saturday afternoon after sweeping Denver the night before, but LSU’s offense was too much for the Irish to handle, as the Tigers hit at an impressive .347 clip.
Dabbs racked up 35 assists in the match to go along with four digs and three kills.
“I was a little nervous wondering how I was going to perform because I had been sick,” Dabbs said. “But when I got the first game jitters out of me and started playing with the team, I got relaxed.”
Flory said Dabbs’ return provided a confidence boost to the team.
“The fact that she wasn’t with us for the first two matches was something we missed,” Flory said. “The confidence level the team has with her on the court is completely different.”
The story of the Tigers’ first two matches was the play of another setter — junior Brittney Johnson.
The Baton Rouge native racked up 81 assists, 22 digs, 13 kills and 11 blocks in the first two matches for the Tigers.
But the Tigers were not able to back up Johnson’s outstanding performance in the first match, as the Tigers fell to Stanford in five sets (25-22, 25-27, 25-22, 21-25, 12-15).
“Johnson was outstanding,” Flory said. “We didn’t lose that match because Johnson was setting. Stanford beat us. Their key players made more plays than our key players made in that match … She really put us in a position to win.”
Up 16-14 in the fourth set with a one-set lead, the Tigers allowed the Cardinal to go on a 6-0 run to take a four-point lead. Stanford would eventually take the set and not look back.
“Our emphasis has been on first-ball contact, and it was our first ball contact that got us into some trouble,” said sophomore libero Lauren Waclawczyk. “At that point, we got comfortable instead of pushing more.”
Some good came out of the defeat as senior middle blocker Brittnee Cooper and sophomore middle blocker Michele Williams combined for 30 kills and 13 blocks. Both were named to the all-tournament team, and Williams was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Senior outside hitter Marina Skender paced the Tigers’ defense with 19 digs while adding 11 kills in her first match back since the end of the 2007 season.
“Marina is the best all-around player on the court,” Flory said. “She is the one that calmly steps in and takes control while creating a lot of opportunities to score. She was awfully quick and physical this weekend, and she played at a level higher than she ever had in her career offensively.”
The Tigers bounced back Saturday and defeated Denver, 3-2 (25-21, 28-30, 25-22, 24-26. 15-10), although it wasn’t pretty.
LSU was up, 24-20, in the fourth set but allowed Denver to go on a 6-0 run reminiscent of the match the night before to take the set.
The Tigers’ offensive woes were apparent, as the team hit .165 with 26 attacking errors.
But Waclawczyk said it was a successful weekend for the Tigers that proved one thing.
“Fran made a comment about us being a Final Four team, and I think it’s starting to set in that we really are,” she said.
—-Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]