The LSU volleyball team dropped its first match of the season in a four-set loss to No. 14 San Diego at the Mortar Board Premier tournament in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday.
The Tigers kept things close for the majority of the match with all four sets being decided by less than five points each but couldn’t topple the Toreros for the upset.
LSU recorded 56 kills against San Diego while committing 22 errors for a .219 hitting clip.
LSU sophomore middle blocker Briana Holman led the way for the Tigers with a team-high 17 kills on a .452 clip. Her kill total in the match puts her at more than 400 for her career at LSU.
Holman also tied San Diego junior Canace Finley for a game-high three service aces — an area LSU coach Fran Flory said was one of the primary focuses heading into the season.
Along with Holman, outside hitters Helen Boyle and Cati Leak produced double-digit kills in the match with 12 and 13, respectively.
Outside hitter Mimi Eugene and defensive specialist Cheyenne Wood were the only freshmen of the Tigers’ 13th ranked recruiting class to see the court Friday morning.
Eugene received the first start of her collegiate career, recording four kills and three digs on a .143 hitting clip in the process. Wood only saw action in two sets but failed to record any statistics.
On the other side of the net, 14 different Toreros combined for 62 kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
San Diego middle hitter Alaysia Brown hit a game-high 21 kills on a .378 hitting percentage.
The loss kicked off a three-game stint to open the season for the Tigers who will play South Florida at 4 p.m. on Friday before finishing the tournament against host team No. 8 Purdue on Saturday at 6 p.m.