A reverse sweep from a conference opponent is not something you want to see if you’re LSU volleyball, especially at home.
LSU suffered a painful loss to No. 20 Tennessee in its SEC home opener on Friday night, dropping the match 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 16-25, 8-15.
The Lady Volunteers came into the meeting undefeated in conference play and on a 10-match win streak, posing an obvious threat to opponents.
The Tigers were split even in conference play on the road, with a loss to Oklahoma but a win against Arkansas that highlighted the team’s defensive improvements.
The crowd at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center knew this conference matchup was going to be a great one, with 2,404 fans watching in the crowd, marking the third-highest attendance in program history.
Before the match, outside hitter Jurnee Robinson was honored for reaching 1,000 career kills at LSU’s matchup against USC, the 24th Tiger in program history to hit that mark.
Robinson was also added to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Player of the Year watchlist on Friday. She proved exactly why she deserved to be on that list with a career-high 33 kills against the Lady Vols to lead the Tigers’ offensive efforts.
LSU’s consistent blocking ability aided its effort to take the first set by surprise from Tennessee. The Tigers totaled 10 blocks on the night, which is the fourth double-digit performance out of their past six matches.
Despite Tennessee’s efforts to bounce back in the second set, the Tigers held on to the lead and did not trail once. Outside hitter Nia Washington landed a kill to take set two, showing eagerness to sweep and upset this Tennessee team. On the night, Washington tallied 14 kills.
With the first two sets all LSU, head coach Tonya Johnson’s team radiated confidence and control. This team had the drive to take down a top-25 team and pull off an upset in conference play.
It all went downhill for the Tigers from there.
Many reversed calls on the court intensified the fight for the Tigers, who looked to potentially pull off an upset, while the Lady Vols looked to save their win streak.
Between the two opponents, serving errors would greatly influence the next few sets. Long serves out of bounds would frequently hurt both LSU and Tennessee, but the Tigers had the worse outcome of the two.
The Tigers slowly lost their footing in set three after a forced timeout. Tennessee came back more aggressive, and LSU just couldn’t find a way to slow the ball down on their side of the court, a crucial factor in rally-score volleyball to remain in control of matches.
In set three, LSU went on a four-point run after the Lady Vols took the lead 21-16 before the Tigers’ final timeout. Setter Lauren Brooker brought the crowd to their feet as she landed a kill to cut the deficit 22-21. Defensive specialist Aly Kirkoff recorded her first career kill as well, something always exciting for a primarily backrow player.
These momentum plays were almost enough for LSU to pull off the sweep, but Tennessee hung on to take the third set 25-23, avoiding a sweep from the Tigers and forcing the match to continue.
The strengths of the Lady Vols that had been lacking in the first two sets had started to reappear after the third.
Hayden Kubik has been the Lady Vols’ star of the season and demonstrated her ability to lead her team to victory. The senior outside hitter finished the night with a career-high 27 kills and helped her team make a comeback after a rough start in Baton Rouge.
After Tennessee took the fourth set 25-16, the Tigers desperately tried to regain the control they began the night with. The match was now tied heading into the fifth, and it’s anyone’s game.
Who was going to be the first to 15 points?
The fifth and final set was point-for-point as the Tigers and Lady Vols found an answer every time the other scored. Tennessee was the first to inch closer to 15, taking a midway lead 10-6 before an LSU timeout.
The fired-up crowd at the PMAC that originally shook the Lady Vols all night didn’t seem to bother the team anymore as Tennessee found the composure the undefeated conference team had displayed for much of the season.
One final block from the Lady Vols secured the 15-8 fifth set win, extending Tennessee’s win streak and keeping its undefeated conference record intact.
The outcome of the match was simply heartache for LSU. As the Tigers grew tired and got in their own heads, little mistakes ultimately handed Tennessee the win. Johnson had said that her goal for this team is to not let the previous play affect the next, but that hasn’t been executed in crucial matchups like this one.
LSU looks to shake off this loss by hosting Florida, another top-25 team, to conclude the weekend.
