A momentous evening for the LSU volleyball program occurred Sunday as it defeated Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center 16-25, 25-22, 25-14, 22-25, 15-4.
LSU pulled off a significant upset against the No. 23 team to split its conference home opening weekend 1-1 and improve to 9-6 overall.
The Tigers recorded their first win against the Gators since 2021, as well as the program’s first win against a nationally ranked team since 2022.
“Florida, historically, is a great program and they’re still a great program today,” head coach Tonya Johnson said about the meaning of the matchup. “Anytime you can get a win against a great team like that, it’s absolutely a good win for us.”
LSU’s offense outdid itself with a season-high 66 kills and .250 attack percentage in the afternoon. From a defensive perspective, the Tigers held the Gators to a .201 hitting percentage and had nine blocks on the night, followed by 63 digs.
Junior outside hitter Jurnee Robinson proved once again her ability to make history with this program. Robinson, who recorded a previous career-high 33 kills against Tennessee on Friday, went on to produce 34 kills against Florida to mark a new career-high record. Robinson also contributed seven blocks for the defense to add another career-best performance.
Despite the loss for the Gators, Florida’s quick playmaking on its side of the court is what initially earned the team the first set win over the Tigers. LSU’s costly serving errors and little mistakes in the back row led the Gators to take the set 25-16.
This was a pivotal wake-up call for the Tigers. Nonetheless, LSU rallied, desperate to cut its deficit and battle for a much-needed conference win.
After a timeout with the Gators leading 19-15 in the second set, LSU’s offense bounced back to cut its deficit 22-21. A Robinson kill tied the set 22-22, giving the Tigers the momentum they lacked to eventually take the lead for the first time in the set. After forcing Florida to take its final timeout, LSU took set two 25-22.
What differed in the third set was ultimately the key in LSU’s road to victory during this match. The Tigers started off with the lead, something they were not able to do in the first two, leading to the 25-14 set win.
The Gators recovered and took the fourth set, pushing the Tigers to play another five-set match in the weekend. Both teams had a desire to win, so the fifth set essentially came down to a “winner takes all” mentality.
With the Tigers previously getting reverse swept by Tennessee, it was evident that LSU was eager for this win. Not only did this team not want to add another loss to its record, but LSU wanted to demonstrate its ability to outscore a top-25 team.
In every conference match thus far, the outcome came down to how bad LSU wanted the win against its opponents. The Tigers yearned for the win against Tennessee, but it just didn’t go their way, Robinson said.
This win over Florida would go on to be the opposite. As both teams were worn out by the time the match got to five sets, the Tigers knew they couldn’t give up this opportunity.
“I think every national team that we’ve gone against, we’ve taken them to four or five sets where we’re tired of it,” Robinson said. “We just want to win, and I think tonight we proved that. We proved ourselves to everybody across the nation.”
The Tigers went on a nine-point run before Florida finally answered with its first point of the set in the fifth. The swift and efficient offense that the Gators possessed early in the match just didn’t seem to click as both teams grew tired, but the Tigers grew hungry for a win.
The Tigers took set five 15-4, shutting down any doubts surrounding this matchup.
“Our saying is ‘DUB,’ which means ‘doubt us basically,’” Robinson said. “Every time we’re doubted, we just have to come out with a little fire — and every time we do.”
The Tigers move forward to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, following a matchup against a No. 3 Kentucky team at home. This will arguably be the team’s toughest matchup yet.
Despite this schedule ahead, LSU perseveres and hopes to continue proving itself against ranked opponents.
“We’re meant to be playing against those top teams, and we’re meant to be ranked as well,” Robinson said. “I think tonight proved it.”
