Head coach Fran Flory was looking for an efficient offense, aggressive net play and smart decision making heading into Wednesday’s road contest against the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division leaders Arkansas.
But the Tigers were not able to win their eighth match out of their last nine, as the Lady ‘Backs (22-5, 13-2 SEC) swept the Tigers (17-9, 9-6 SEC) 30-19, 34-32 and 30-25.
LSU only registered a .160 hitting percentage compared to Arkansas’ stellar .324 percentage.
“We just didn’t come out very aggressive,” Flory said of the first game. “They made plays we didn’t expect them to make. It took us a while to adjust.”
Flory said the Tigers gave away the second game because to unforced errors. Otherwise, she said, the Tigers would have won the game going away.
Coming into the game, the Tigers were trailing the Lady ‘Backs by three matches with two remaining. However, the Tigers also had a three-match lead over their nearest competitor for second place in the West, Alabama.
Sophomore Kyra Lancon led the Tigers will 13 kills. Regan Hood followed her with 11. Senior Jennifer Hampton also had nine.
Hampton, a senior outside hitter and member of the 2001 All-SEC second team, only had a .032 hitting percentage on the night. Fellow senior Rachel Vogt also struggled with .095 hitting percentage.
“We just aren’t in a very good groove offensively,” Flory said. “We’re asking Jennifer to do too much. Kyra is the only player in a groove and we need to use that more often.”
Vogt lead the team in digs with eight. Senior Jenny Greco had seven and Rachel Pittman had six.
Last week after a four-game loss against Kentucky, Flory was openly critical of the seniors’ performance.
“The bottom line is those seniors need to end on a positive note,” Flory said. “We haven’t played to our potential yet. The seniors know it’s time for them to step up. They are capable of doing that.”
Meanwhile, Arkansas had very few problems on the night. Sara Kincaid, Libby Windell and Anna Velikanova each had 13,12 and 10 kills respectively. Kincaid was most efficient in her chances to score kills, notching a .571 hitting percentage. Windell was also successful on the night, having a .435 percentage.
Velikanova had 10 digs and Roberta Tarnauskaite had a team-leading 11 digs. Arkansas had 13 team blocks to LSU’s seven.
The Tigers will next be in action at Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m. before heading to the SEC Tournament on Nov. 21 which will also be in Fayetteville.