In the volleyball team’s Aug. 26 contest with Houston, there came a time in the match where LSU seemed destined to push the Cougars to a fifth and final set.
The fourth frame was going well for the Tigers, which was a welcome sight after a disastrous third set that Houston won 25-12, absolutely dominating LSU and taking the energy from the building. Now, LSU had Houston right where it wanted it. Up 22-19, all the Tigers needed were three more points to even the match up at two sets apiece.
Instead, they collapsed. Houston scored six unanswered points–five by senior two-time All-AAC selection Abbie Jackson by way of four kills and a block–en route to taking the match, 3-1.
In that situation, Houston’s experience showed, and allowed it to do the unlikely, snatching a sure set win from LSU’s hands. The next day, coach Tonya Johnson noticed the team was a little less lively, a little more reserved. They weren’t chatty in the locker room; instead, they put in earbuds and kept to themselves.
Little did they know, less than 24 hours later, they would be put in the exact same situation.
On the next day against Rice, in the final match of the Tiger Classic, LSU would once again find itself down 2-1 in a match, leading in the fourth set with a chance to go to a fifth. The Tigers led by as many as four in the frame and were now up 20-18. This time, they executed and closed out the set, 25-21. Though LSU would eventually lose in the fifth set, this turnaround represented exactly what Johnson is looking for: steady improvement.
LSU’s weekend provided plenty of teaching moments. After a 3-0 win against Samford, the Tigers dropped games to both Houston and Rice by scores of 3-1 and 3-2, respectively. Coach Johnson identified several areas of improvement, including the team’s blocking and serving–LSU had 20 service errors on the weekend. On a more general note, Johnson said her team had to do a better job of responding to runs.
“There were times where Rice and Houston put four or five-point runs on us, and if they side out, we have to be one-and-out and side out right back. That has to be our mentality from a side-out standpoint.”
LSU also struggled creating consistent offense, primarily in their two losses. The Tigers did well on designed attacks, and there were many plays where a point was manufactured by a good play design or by a smart decision to catch the other team off-guard. However, when LSU was under pressure and forced to make quick choices, it settled for basic, predictable offense.
“Obviously, 60% of the game is played out-of-system,” Johnson explained, “so our out-of-system attacking has to be a lot better. These kids in high school, they’re taught to just keep the ball in play, and I felt like we had that mentality a little bit. In both of those matches out-of-system, I want us to go up and take an aggressive swing on that ball. Until we learn to do that, we’re going to keep putting ourselves in situations like that.”
Still, there was a lot of good to take away from the weekend, particularly defensively, where the team did a great job of keeping the ball in play. Sophomore libero Ella Larkin and senior defensive specialist Jill Bohnet accounted for 65 and 39 digs respectively over the weekend, and they had a lot of effort plays between them.
Johnson also had praise for the performances of senior Sanaa Dotson, who led the team with 52 kills on a .279 hitting percentage while also contributing 29 digs, and graduate transfer Hannah Jacobs, who accounted for 36 kills. Jacobs comes this season to LSU from Southern Methodist University, where she had over 1,000 kills in her career and made the all-conference team twice.
This weekend served as a debut for several Tigers, but freshman setter Maddie Waak was given a particularly large role. LSU’s highest-ranked recruit this offseason, she started the match against Houston and subbed into the Rice game, splitting time with Josie Vondran, the graduate transfer from Ohio State.
When LSU came down to the fifth set against Rice, Waak was chosen to start on the court at setter, an incredible vote of confidence from the coaching staff in her second college game.
“Her decision-making’s really good. I think she puts our attackers in really good positions. I just love her mentality out there,” Johnson said.
Looking ahead, LSU will host another tournament this upcoming weekend, the Tiger Challenge. The Tigers will play Troy and Iowa State on Friday before heading into a difficult Saturday match against No. 21 Penn State. Their first match against a ranked opponent will be an interesting opportunity to see how well LSU can adjust to high-level competition.
LSU looks like a work-in-progress, which is to be expected. However, it’s clear the Tigers have the potential to make some noise this year if they can perform more consistently. Until then, teaching moments such as the ones provided by last weekend’s Tiger Classic will be crucial.
