No. 13 Florida State defeated the LSU volleyball team in straight sets Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (5-6) remains without a win at home.
The first set rallied back-and-forth as senior Tiara Gibson, junior Gina Tillis and freshman Sydney Mukes had multiple kills. Florida State would go on to take set one, 26-24.
“We played with a lot of intensity in the first set,” Tillis said. “We made a point to focus on ourselves and not the other team, and we were almost able to jump out to a 1-0 start.”
Headed into the second set, LSU capitalized on early momentum generated from Tillis and Toni Rodriguez and a few blocks from Khourtni Fears.
However, the Tigers struggled with execution and committed 11 errors in the second set. Miscues were the theme for set three as well. LSU finished the match with a total of 26 errors.
“We definitely had this game, but we kept struggling with errors,” Tillis stated. “We need to do a better job of controlling our mistakes in the future.”
The Seminoles won set two 25-20 and set three 25-18 to complete their sweep of the match.
Tillis led LSU with eleven kills, but as a team, the Tigers struggled with a .144 hitting percentage as opposed to Florida State’s .277.
LSU coach Fran Flory said LSU’s self-inflicted wounds remain as the biggest obstacle in front of her team.
“I thought we did a great job game planning for Florida State,” Flory said. “Unfortunately, we self destructed on our side with errors.”
LSU’s youth also played a factor in Sunday’s match, especially against a ranked opponent such as Florida State.
“At times we lacked focus and balance on the ball-control side of the game, and that’s a sign of a young team,” Flory said.
“We played too timid at times, and I think that bled over into our passing game,” Flory continued.
The Tigers begin Southeastern Conference play this Friday against Auburn, and Flory stressed the importance of this week’s practice and the team’s mentality moving forward.
“We need to take our reps this week and trust the process,” Flory said. “If we do that, results will follow.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Caroline Magee

LSU junior Gina Tilllis (#12) takes the court on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, during the Tigers 3-0 loss to Florida State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.