The LSU volleyball team split this weekend’s matches with a win over Georgia on Friday but a loss to No. 4 Florida on Sunday. The loss to Florida snapped the Tigers’ three-game winning streak and brought their record to 16-4 and 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers began the weekend by beating Georgia in Athens for the first time in four years. The Tigers dominated every statistical category, especially kills, where LSU led the Bulldogs 55 to 29. “We played very well against Georgia,” said Coach Fran Flory. “We executed very well, we were in nice rhythm, we fought hard on defense. I think that was a very, very positive match.” The Tigers won the first game, 30-20. They led by as much as 10 in the second game and although the Bulldogs were able to pull within five, the Tigers prevailed 26-21. Georgia took a 9-5 lead in the third game, but the Tigers were able to force a tie at 12 and eventually take the lead and win, 30-24. The Tigers then traveled to Gainesville to take on the No. 4 Florida Gators. The Gators had not yet lost an SEC match, and that trend continued on Sunday as the Tigers fell in three games 30-20, 30-21 and 30-20. “We didn’t play with the same attitude,” Flory said. “We were too conservative, very tentative offensively, tentative defensively, and you can’t play that way against a team that’s as good as Florida.” The first game was a close one, where the Tigers were able to trim a Florida lead to just one point. However, errors by the Tigers extended the Gators’ lead and the Tigers fell 30-20. In the second game, the Tigers trailed by as many as 12, and with LSU struggling offensively, the Gators took the second game, 30-21. The Tigers took the lead early in the third game before the Gators tied it at four. Tied at 12, the Gators took the lead for good and won the game, 30-20, and swept the match, 3-0. Flory said every aspect of the team’s performance could have been better Sunday. She said the team will practice in those areas this week.
“I don’t think there was any part of our game that was very good today,” Flory said. “I think that Florida did a nice job of taking us out of our system. They served us very aggressively and we didn’t handle their serve very well and we allowed that to affect the rest of our game. We didn’t finish plays in the way we finished plays on Friday night, so we’ve got to get back into the gym and learn how to be more consistent for next time.
Contact Courtney Mistich at [email protected]