The 2003 season ended Friday for the LSU volleyball team as they fell to Arkansas (30-17, 30-28, 30-27) in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Columbia, S.C.
Game one was dominated by the Razorbacks as LSU got behind 10-2 early on and could not overcome the deficit.
However, game two was tight with both teams taking the lead than losing it several times within the game.
Game two was tied at 24 when the Tigers (11-19, 6-10 SEC) took three straight points to regain the lead 27-24. But the Razorbacks answered by scoring four straight to move head of the Tigers 28-27. A kill by Lauren Leaumont tied the game at 28.
Then, like several games this season, the young Tigers committed several errors to give the game to the Razorbacks.
“I think this match reflected our season,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “We can’t stand prosperity. We missed opportunities when we were given easy chances. I think our game plan worked because we backed Arkansas up against a wall, but we just could not execute when we needed to.”
The Tigers had the late lead in game three, 25-21. But like game two, LSU lost in the last few minutes of the game. This time the loss came with a 9-2 run by the Razorbacks to end the match 3-0.
Freshman Lauren Leaumont and junior Regan Hood each recorded nine kills for the Tigers. Leaumont also tallied 11 digs and 4 blocks to lead the team. Hood, who was named Second Team All-SEC, had seven digs against the Razorbacks.
Freshman Melody Clark and sophomore Megan Heinz each had three blocks for the Tigers.
“We’re a young team,” said Leaumont, a member of the 2003 All-Freshman SEC team. “This experience will put us on the road to doing what we need to do.”
Sara Kincaid led Arkansas in kills with 18 in the match. Kincaid also had four blocks.
Arkansas improved to 24-6 overall and 16-2 in the conference following the SEC tournament. The Razorbacks faced Florida in the SEC Championship match on Sunday but fell to the Gators 3-0.
Flory said the Tigers started out tense instead of intense.
“We have everyone back next year because we don’t have any seniors,” Flory said. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a team in this game and throughout the year.
“Now we have to look at it and decide if we want to go down that same road again or if we want to change it and get better for the future.”