The LSU volleyball team continued its three-game home stand when the Tigers swept Auburn on Wednesday night in the PMAC by scores of 25-23, 28-26, 25-19. The Tigers are now 12-10 on the year and 6-6 in the Southeastern Conference, while Auburn drops to 6-16 overall and 0-11 in the league.
The Tigers now own a 45-15 all-time record against Auburn. LSU has won the last three matches, claiming a three-set victory at home on Oct. 14, 2018.
Junior Taylor Bannister led the Tigers with 22 kills, hitting .327 on the match. Bannister’s 22 kills is the fourth most in a three-set match in program history. Freshman Samarah Hill finished the match with her fourth double-double on the year with 12 kills and 14 digs, while junior Raigen Cianciulli recorded a match high 17 digs.
“This was a gut-check match for us,” said coach Fran Flory. “I don’t think we were really prepared at the very beginning and credit Auburn for jumping on us, challenging us, and making us play a different style than we have played all year.
“Credit to our side for responding to that, working into a rhythm, and re-identifying ourselves. I’m super proud of how we managed the match. I’m proud of our effort and that we out-dug a very good defensive team in Auburn. That’s an area that we have worked on this week and I’m happy that it paid off.”
Both Tigers, LSU and Auburn are set to face each other again in just a little over a week. LSU will head to Auburn, Alabama, looking to defeat this team twice in one season. The last time the Tigers fell to Auburn was in 2016 on the road.
This Sunday the Tigers will take on Texas A&M at 3 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. This match will be senior night where the three seniors, Anna Zwiebel, Milan Stokes, and Sydney Mukes will be honored for their time representing LSU. The match will air on SEC Network.
