No. 11 LSU closed out their second game of the Death Volley Invitational tournament with a nail-biter that would end in a 2-3 loss against No.1 UCLA.

Prior to losing against the number one team in the country, the Sandy Tigs would start the day with a massive upset against No. 4 USC by winning 3-2. Despite the outcome from losing against the Bruins, LSU Head Coach Russell Brock believes that this loss will give his team confidence to compete against the top teams moving forward.

“They’re (UCLA) the number one team in the country,” Brock said. “We measured up well. We had a good, competitive battle, but we’re not here to just compete… we want to win. It’s encouraging but it’s also like we’re not satisfied.”

With two hard-fought road wins against No. 9 California and No. 11 Arizona State, LSU has shown its determination and grit within the past two weeks, specifically from someone like player Gabi Bailey.

Bailey, a veteran in collegiate beach volleyball, has learned to take on being one of the leaders of the team and has shown set after set to be one of the best players in the purple and gold.

Even though her team lost within the final moments, Bailey believes that the Sandy Tigs have just begun making waves within the national rankings.

“This team is so easy to lead,” Bailey said. “They are out here wanting to fight for every single point and I just trust everybody so much. Each pair, each line, I know they want it so much. So it’s such an easy team to lead because of their fight and the love we all have for each other.”

No. 11 LSU will close the Death Volley Invitational tournament by playing No. 9 Long Beach State at 9:15 p.m. CT on Friday and No. 4 Stanford at 10:30 a.m. CT on Saturday.