After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since 2008 last weekend, the LSU volleyball team opened up Southeastern Conference play with road wins against Ole Miss and Alabama.
The Tigers (9-3, 2-0 SEC) closed the weekend with a 3-1 victory at Alabama (6-6, 0-2 SEC) with help from junior outside hitter Madie Jones.
Jones put away a career-high 21 kills, while three other Tigers joined her in racking up double-digit kills.
LSU coach Fran Flory said Jones’ performances led the way for the Tigers in the two matches.
“I’m not surprised because she had a great week of practice,” Flory said. “When Madie is driven, and understands how good in attacking she can be, she can really survive.”
On Friday, the Tigers pulled off a victory in a five-set showdown at Ole Miss (4-5, 0-1 SEC) led by another strong performance from Jones.
“We turned the match into a serving and passing battle and a defensive battle that we won in the backcourt,” Flory said. “We won by keeping the ball off the floor and creating and finishing position.”
Flory called the win a “grow-up moment” for the team and said five-set matches earlier in the season prepared the Tigers for success at Ole Miss. The Tigers had fallen in five sets to Xavier (Ohio), Western Kentucky and Miami previously this season.
Junior libero Meghan Mannari said the coaching staff prepared the team for a big weekend on the road after a tough tournament last weekend.
“Those are two really big environments to play in because they have loud crowds,” Mannari said. “It was very important for us to start out with two wins and get some