On September 17, the LSU volleyball team headed to Birmingham, Alabama, to play two matchups at the Samford Invitational. Similarities carried over from their performance in the Rice Invitational, as the team got comfortable in must-win situations.
On Friday night, the team defeated Samford, 3-1, picking up their second straight win in a match full of swaying momentum. The Bulldogs fought back hard after dropping the second and third set, but the Tigers stayed calm and collected to secure the victory.
“When we can get into uncomfortable situations and still succeed, then those are good situations to be in,” Head Coach Fran Flory said. “It helps us grow as a team and gain confidence in understanding our system.”
Like the squad’s last contest at the Rice Invitational the previous weekend, LSU got off to a rough start. They allowed the Bulldogs to take the first set 25-10. Samford built a 12-point lead before the Purple and Gold gained two points of their own. Samford, however, crushed their hopes of a comeback in the set, ending the frame with a 5-0 run.
LSU challenged the Bulldogs more at the beginning of the second set, holding a 5-4 advantage before Samford went on a 5-1 run, taking the lead. The Tigers were able to shape up in time to take the second set. However, they scored nine of the following 13 points to bring the game 15-13. The Bulldogs bit back later in the set before the Purple and Gold issued another two-point extension to close the set 25-22.
Samford proved that they wouldn’t go down without a fight. They stole the next set by taking an early lead. But the Tigers stayed calm under pressure and scored enough points to tie the match 20-20. Junior Sanaa Dotson’s kill gave the team enough power to burst out on a 5-1 run and walk away with a 25-21 victory. Transfer star Kylie Deberg also led the team’s dominance with six kills of her own.
The Tigers didn’t give their fans the chance to rest easy in the fourth set either. They trailed 5-3 before putting out nine of the following 10 points to take a six-point lead. The final set sat 18-9 before Samford was able to stomp out 10 unanswered points. LSU managed to squeeze out seven more points in time to claim the set 25-19 and win the match. The Purple and Gold dominated the court offensively in the fourth, hitting a set-high 47%. Dotson led the charge with six kills on 11 swings and only registered a single error.
“I thought we came in undisciplined and unprepared, but we are fortunate to be able to turn it around and play some good volleyball in sets two, three, and four,” Flory said. “In those final three sets, we were very efficient and low-error.”
The defense was a crucial part of the match against Samford. Defensive specialist Emmaline Walters recorded 12 digs and had an ace, while freshman Ella Larkin finished with 35 assists, eight digs and four blocks. Outside hitter Dotson made 12 kills and hit .321 in the match, marking the second time straight to have a hitting percentage over .300.
“I was super proud of Sanaa Dotson who came in and had key moments for us when our normal key players struggled a little bit,” Flory commented.
When LSU returned to the Pete Hanna Center the next day after a strenuous match against the Bulldogs, the team couldn’t overcome a tight contest against Troy and dropped the match, 3-2. The Tigers’ record now sits 4-5 after losing to the Trojans, who have already defeated Alabama and Virginia Tech powerhouses this season. The loss came when LSU dropped the fifth set, although Flory noted that the fourth set instead marked their defeat. ​​
“We lost this match in the fourth set,” said Flory. “We gave that set away with too many errors. This was a self-inflicted loss, and we have to learn how to manage the game better.”
LSU started the first set off slowly on Saturday, losing it to Troy, 25-20. However, the Tigers returned once more, hitting over 39%, and won the following two sets, five and seven points, respectively. Now having the lead in the match 2-1, the team may have underestimated Troy’s level of persistence. The Trojans claimed the fourth set 27-25.
“After winning the second and third set I think we relaxed,” said Flory. “We made some assumptions and we lost our discipline. You cannot do that against a team like Troy, who never quits.”
The Tigers fought hard for redemption but dropped the final set of Saturday’s thriller 25-18. However, Deberg owned the match offensively, putting up 21 kills and adding 14 digs. This was her eighth consecutive match with double-digit kills.
SEC play is starting this Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Then the team will turn around for the SEC home-opener on Saturday against Alabama at 5 p.m. CT.