All good things must come to end as the LSU volleyball team discovered this weekend when it’s seven-match win streak came to a close against Miami Saturday night.
The Tigers (7-1) fell to the Hurricanes in five sets for their first loss of the season, but not before making a late surge after falling down two sets to none to start the match.
“I’m proud of the resiliency our team was able to show during those third and fourth sets,” said LSU coach Fran Flory in a news release. “The positive was we were able to fight back in a match where our offense efficiency wasn’t very good. You have to credit Miami and the game plan their coaching staff put together.”
The matchup was the second time in as many days LSU and Miami met on the court, with the Tigers taking the first match in a grueling, five-set duel. However, the momentum from the win was immediately lost in the first two sets in Saturday’s meeting when LSU committed 20 hitting errors for a negative .110 hitting percentage.
Flory said she didn’t think her team’s preparation was where it needed to be leading up to the game and the Tigers entered the match underestimating Miami. LSU ended the night with a season-low 40 kills on a .052 hitting clip. Miami posted a .193 hitting percentage, good for 66 kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Cati Leak and junior setter Malorie Pardo led the team with a pair of double-doubles on Saturday. Leak recorded a team-leading 13 kills and added 15 digs, while Pardo dealt out 31 assists and 10 digs. It was Leak’s fifth and Pardo’s third double-doubles of the season.
“Offensively, our shot selection isn’t where it needs to be,” Flory said. “I thought Malorie made some great choices last night, and I think she put some people in some good situations during this match. I don’t think we seized the opportunities. We have to learn and mature through that.”
LSU wraps up its eight-match road trip next weekend when it travels to the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup in Houston. The Tigers are slated to play North Texas, Baylor and Houston in the tournament before opening up Southeastern Conference play with Georgia on Sept. 27.