The LSU volleyball team opened up their three-match home stand with thrilling win over Mississippi State in five sets on Sunday. After sweeping the Bulldogs in their previous match in September, the Tigers have taken the season series 2-0.
LSU improves to 11-10 on the season and 5-6 in Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers get a much needed win following a three-game losing streak.
LSU led early on in the first set, going up 12-7. However, the Bulldogs kept things close the entire way, with the Tigers narrowly escaping 25-23.
The second set was more of the same, with the Mississippi State edging out LSU 25-20. The Bulldogs led for most of the set, but the Tigers managed to hold on until the very end.
LSU and Mississippi State found themselves tied 5-5 to start the third set. However, the Tigers went on a remarkable 20-4 run to close out the set 25-9.
Mississippi State responded in the fourth set, going up 18-11. LSU went on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 2, but the Bulldogs closed out the set 25-22 to even the match 2-2.
The final set of the match was a neck-and-neck battle that went back and forth towards the end, but it was the Tigers who would come out on top 17-15 to take the match 3-2.
“I’m super proud of this team,” coach Flory said. “We got our confidence broken a little bit on a three-match losing streak. Understanding that we lost to three good teams and coming back and having to fight through that match, that’s gonna be a super significant match for us as we continue to mature as a team.”
Taylor Bannister, Samarah Hill, and Milan Stokes accounted for 58 of LSU’s 68 total kills. Raigen Cianciulli also had a stellar day, accounting for 29 of the Tigers’ 82 kills.
“We have some great talent,” said coach Fran Flory. “The challenge is how we continue to mold that together and get the most out of everybody. It’s the first match that our outsides have been able to win without any support from the middle. That’s a huge step.”
LSU returns to the PMAC once again this week as they take on Auburn on Nov. 6.
